







©Cl. A273467 


rt I 



* 




TSe SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


CHAPTER I 

A PRETTY girl, looking very cool 
and attractive in a white muslin 
gown, descended from the veranda 
of the little Lake View Hotel, and directed 
her steps toward two distant maples, under 
which her hammock was slung, her way lead- 
ing across a lawn yellow with dandelions. 
Only once she paused — to scan the lake, and 
to gaze wistfully at its one island, colored 
blue by the haze of a June afternoon. 

She carried a white parasol, and a book 
bound in green buckram; she wore no hat. 
In the sun, her hair would have rivaled the 
dandelions, it was so deliciously and naturally 
yellow; and her eyes were as blue as the dis- 
i 





'Se SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


tant island, where, at that very moment, a 
picnic party from the hotel was doing its best 
to divide itself into fractions, each fraction 
containing an interested and interesting mem- 
ber of an opposite sex. 

On the island, alas, save in one or two 
cases, the problem remained a problem, for 
the picnic party was sadly lacking in men. 
So, if the girl had gone to the picnic, instead 
of remaining at the hotel with her Aunt Har- 
riet, perhaps by this time she would have 
been looking wistfully across the lake to the 
deserted hotel. Still, one always fancies one 
will have a pleasant time at a picnic, and 
grows surer of it as the day advances — that 
is, when one stays away. So, the girl felt 
just the least bit lonely and unhappy, even 
though she cared not a cent for any indi- 
vidual member of the picnic party. 

“ I couldn’t have gone, anyway,” she said 
to herself. “ That train being so early made 
it quite impossible.” Which might lead one 
to infer that she expected a friend, or some 
one, at least, by a certain train. 

She was not really disconsolate, however, 
for she carried in her hand an exciting story. 
2 


She was sure It was exciting, for she had 
already read the last chapter, and it had 
ended most dramatically. Then, too, her 
hammock was most comfortable. Indeed, it 
was her own particular hammock, which she 
had brought with her from New York. 

Therefore, when she approached the two 
maples, with every prospect of a peaceful 
afternoon, she was, naturally, surprised, and 
a little indignant, to find her hammock occu- 
pied by a young man; rather a handsome 
young man, to be sure, but also an inter- 
loping, vexatious young man, who must be 
shown his place, must be taught that he could 
not, with impunity, fall asleep in hammocks 
that belonged exclusively to pretty, attractive 
young ladies. For there could be no doubt- 
ing it: the young man was fast asleep. 

Perhaps if the girl had known him, she 
would have liked him, for Morton Prince 
was most likable. But she did not know 
him; she was ignorant that his name was 
Morton Prince. Indeed, she was aware of 
but three things : a young man was asleep in 
her hammock, she wanted her hammock, she 
meant to have it. 


3 



feie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

To accomplish her design, it was obviously 
necessary to awaken the young man. It 
might be that a cough would awaken him ? 

She coughed. 

But Morton Prince slept through a whole 
series of coughs, whereat she eyed him re- 
proachfully, then blushed a little as it oc- 
curred to her that, in a story book, he would 
be the only man in the world. And the only 
man in the world was always awakened, 
in story books, with — But she wanted her 
hammock. 

Dropping both parasol and book, she 
grasped the rope supporting the hammock, 
and gave it a violent shake, causing Mr. 
Prince to stir uneasily. But he did not open 
his eyes. 

Again the hammock was shaken, this time 
with better success. 

“Where the deuce am I?” murmured 
Mr. Prince, rubbing his eyes. 

“ You’re in my hammock.” 

“ Good old hammock,” said Mr. Prince, 
preparing to take another nap. 

“You mustn’t go to sleep again! I say 
you mustn’t 1 ” 




We SAPPHIRE BRACELET 




“Why not?” demanded Mr. Prince, sit- 
ting up suddenly. 

“ Because it’s my hammock, and I want 
it.” 

“Oh!” said Mr. Prince. “Your ham- 
mock, is it? By Jove, your hammock, of 
course!” he added, rising hastily. “I’m 
sure I beg your pardon. I’m only half- 
awake, you see.” 

“ Yes, I see,” the girl replied coldly. 

Mr. Morton Prince smiled disarmingly. 
“ I was dead tired, and I didn’t know it was 
a private hammock. I only arrived an hour 
ago,” he explained. “ It seems to be pleas- 
ant here,” he continued, by way of making 
conversation. 

“ No doubt some people find it pleasant,” 
said the girl in a tone of finality. “ Good- 
afternoon.” 

“ I say ! ” exclaimed Mr. Prince, 
hope you’re not offended with me.” 

“Why should I be?” 

“ I don’t know. But, somehow, I 
that you are.” 

“ Really, I’m not.” 

“ Are you sure? ” 



“I 


feel 



[the SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 

“ I’m not so sure as I was when I said I 
wasn’t.” 

“ Perhaps I’d better go. But I hate to 
go with this misunderstanding between us.” 

The girl eyed him disapprovingly, then 
stooped to pick up her book. 

“ Let me,” said Mr. Prince, making a 
hasty dive. 

As he placed the book in her hands, the 
girl’s face brightened. “ You say you ar- 
rived an hour ago? ” she asked. 

“ Yes,” said Mr. Prince, greatly relieved 
to find his dismissal temporarily postponed. 
“ Yes, an hour ago.” 

“ But there is no train at that time.” 

“ I came in a motor car.” 

41 Oh!” 

“ Started from New York at five this 
morning. Not a bad record.” 

“ You must have been in a hurry.” 

44 I’m always in a hurry.” 

44 How stupid of me ! ” exclaimed the 
girl. “You needn’t say another word; I 
know now who you are. You see, I expected 
you on the four o’clock train.” 

41 Er — yes,” said Mr. Prince, vaguely 

6 



SAPPHIRE BRACELET^ 


troubled, “ quite so. The four o’clock 
train.” 

“ But, of course, time is money in your 
profession.” 

“ Oh, rather! ” agreed Mr. Prince. 

“ I think it was clever of me to know 
you.” 

“ You didn’t, at first.” 

“ Well, you see you are rather young-look- 
ing. I presume of course that you’re a sub- 
ordinate.” 

“ I’m not a subordinate,” declared Mr. 
Prince, with conviction. “ That is, I may 
be this minute. But just you wait.” 

“ Then you are the head of the agency? ” 

Mr. Prince looked puzzled, then squared 
his shoulders, impressively. “ You’ve guessed 
it,” he said. 

“ That simplifies matters. I feel, now, I 
can tell you everything.” 

“ Yes, everything,” said Mr. Prince. 
“ That’s what I want to know — every- 
thing.” 

“ I hardly know where to begin,” said the 
girl, seating herself in the hammock, and re- 
garding the tips of her fingers. 

7 



jjffie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


“ You might begin at the beginning,” sug- 
gested Mr. Prince. 

“ That wouldn’t be logical,” said the girl. 

“ Why not?” 

“ Is it logical for a woman to be log- 
ical? ” 

“ But you’re a mere child,” he objected. 

“ I’m not. I’m twenty.” 

“ And I’m twenty-eight.” 

“ A girl is older at twenty than a boy at 
twenty-eight.” 

“ Than a man at twenty-eight,” corrected 
Mr. Prince. 

“You are awfully boyish to hold such a re- 
sponsible position,” said the girl. 

“ If I were not successful, would I be 
here? ” he demanded. 

“ Since you are here, wouldn’t it be more 
business-like to — to be business-like?” 

“ I am waiting to hear why you sent for 
me,” said Mr. Prince, adopting what he 
deemed to be a professional manner. 

“ But I thought you knew. Surely the 
telegram — ” 

“ Your telegram was most vague,” said 
Mr. Prince. 

8 

m? 







SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


“ Didn’t it tell you I needed your serv- 
ices? ” 

“ That’s why I’m here.” 

“ Come to think of it, I don’t believe it 
did tell you why I needed your services.” 

“ That’s just it,” said Mr. Prince. “ I 
came, hoping to be of service to you, but en- 
tirely ignorant as to the reason why my serv- 
ices were needed.” 

“ Can’t you guess? ” 

44 Of course I can guess.” 

44 Then guess.” 

44 That would be hardly professional.” 

44 No, I suppose not. Still, when one 
sends for a detective — ” 

“A detective?” exclaimed Mr. Prince, 
taken quite off his guard by the unexpected- 
ness of it all. 

“Yes, a detective. You are a detective, 
aren’t you ? ” 

“ She asks me if I’m a detective,” he said, 
appealing to the universe at large with a voice 
of amazement. 

44 Well, are you, or aren’t you? ” 

“ Did you never hear of Morton Prince? ” 

44 1 never did.” 



TSe SAPPHIRE BRACELET ) 

■ ■■ , .. . .... .. i. . .... ii — . . . . . 


“ Or of Red Fennessy, or of Anarchist 
Joe, or of — of — ” 

“ Go on/’ said the girl. 

“ Red Fennessy is now serving fifteen 
years in jail for the Winchester bank rob- 
bery; Anarchist Joe is doin^j a life sentence 
for the Baltimore bomb outrage. And who 
put them there? ” 

“ I give it up,” said the girl. 

“ I put them there.” 

“ And is Morton Prince in jail, too? ” 

“ No. Morton Prince is not in jail. It 
is Morton Prince you see before you. I am 
Morton Prince.” 

“ Not really? ” 

“ Just as sure as I’m standing here.” 

“ I never dreamed the agency would send 
such a famous detective.” 

“ It would naturally send you the best it 
had,” Mr. Prince explained modestly. “ If 
you will be so good as to tell me why my 
services are needed.” 

“ It is on a very delicate matter,” said the 
girl. 

“Ah, I see; a case in which caution and 
diplomacy are required.” 

io 



HER FEET 





‘ffie SAPPHIRE BRACELET?, 

“ Oh, lots of caution, and no end of di- 
plomacy ! Do you think you can manage it, 
Mr. Prince ?” 

“ Pm sure of it.” 

“If you are tired of standing, you may 
sit down.” 

“ Thank you so much,” said Mr. Prince, 
seating himself at her feet, a position which, 
figuratively, of course, he was to occupy for 
some time to come. 



u 




CHAPTER II 

T HE girl, evidently at a loss where to 
begin her narrative, bestowed a ten- 
tative glance on Detective Prince, 
who sat silent, regarding her with trustful 
and appreciative eyes; she gazed, for a mo- 
ment, at the sky. Naturally, one would hesi- 
tate to declare that she found in the color of 
the sky an answer to some vexing question. 
But it is said we are strangely influenced by 
colors, and the sky was wonderfully blue 
that afternoon. At all events, when her 
gaze left the sky, to rest once more on the 
approving Mr. Prince, she seemed to have 
acquired the information, confidence, or 
whatever it was she had been seeking. 

“ I am ready now,” she said. 

“ Do you mind if I smoke?” asked Mr. 
Prince. “ I can think better when I smoke.” 


/ 



®ie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 



1 hope you don’t use morphine,” said the 


I’m a bit too modern for that. Why, 1 
don’t even use a magnifying glass! ” 

“ I suppose modern methods are more — 
more modern.” 

“ Oh, rather ! ” said Mr. Prince. 

“ Still, I presume you disguise yourself oc- 
casionally.” 

“ That isn’t necessary. Of course we oc- 
casionally disguise our true feelings,” he ex- 
plained. 

As this statement was accompanied by 
a look of undisguised admiration, the girl 
had little reason for supposing this to be one 
of the occasions to which Detective Prince 
referred. 

“ I doubt if you ever have any feelings to 
disguise,” she said. 

” Oh, I say ! ” protested Mr. Prince. 

“ Of course, to me, you are a mere ma- 
chine, possessing a coldly analytical mind, 
and no heart.” 

“ Detectives often have hearts.” 

“ Before they become detectives, perhaps.” 

” There is something in that.” 




SAPPHIRE BRACElETf 


“ Then you’ll admit that all detectives are 
heartless.” 

“ I’ll admit I lost my heart when I became 
a detective,” Mr. Prince replied evasively. 

“ Perhaps it would be better if you were 
to smoke,” said the girl. 

Detective Prince drew a gold case from 
his pocket, and selected a cigarette. 

“ This is great! ” he said. 

“ Does it really affect your mind? ” asked 
the girl. 

“ Oh, rather! ” said Mr. Prince. “ I see 
things much more clearly through smoke.” 

“ I suppose I’d better tell you all about 
the robbery,” said the girl. 

“A robbery? Good! Goon.” 

“ It promises to be a very difficult case.” 

“ It might be for some,” said Mr. Prince, 
“ but I’m no end of a dab at finding things; 
been doing it ever since I was a youngster.” 

“ How very curious ! ” 


Pe SAPPHIRE BRACELET? 

there’s that silly game with a dollar, where 
you hold hands under a table.” 

“ I have never played it,” said the girl. 

“ What, never played Up Jenkins ?” 

“ Never! ” 

“ Of course I’ve only played it with men,” 
said Mr. Prince, “ but I could generally tell 
where the dollar was without half-trying. It 
has always been so,” he added vaguely. 

u Aren’t we losing time? ” asked the girl. 

“ I’m not,” replied Mr. Prince. 

“ Supposing you had been robbed of a sap- 
phire bracelet? ” 

“ That’s different,” he admitted. “ Did 
the robbery take place here? ” 

“ Where else?” 

“ Ah,” said Mr. Prince, producing a gold 
pencil and a check book, “ a sapphire brace- 
let, you say. Sapphires are blue* aren’t 
they?” 

“ Generally.” 

“ I think blue would be awfully becoming 
to you. Go on.” 

“ Wouldn’t it be more professional of you 
to ask me questions? ” 

“ It would be,” said Mr. Prince, “ but I 
15 



foie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

thought best to adopt a different method in 
your case.” 

“Why?” 

“ One has to ask rather — er — intimate 
questions.” 

“Oh!” 

“ Still, perhaps it would be better.” 

“ What a horrid profession ! ” 

“ I’ll admit it has a disagreeable side. 
But there are certain pleasant features; one 
meets so many charming people.” 

“ Criminals may be interesting, but I 
should hardly call them charming,” said the 
girl. 

“ I was thinking of my clients.” 

“ I suppose charming people are robbed 
occasionally.” 

“Yes, indeed! If that weren’t so, I 
wouldn’t be — ” 

“ Wouldn’t be what? ” 

“ Wouldn’t be a detective,” said Mr. 
Prince. 

“ I can’t afford to pay you a large sum if 
you are successful in finding the bracelet,” 
said the girl. 

“ We never receive large fees, except from 
1 6 



jjfeWPHIRE BRACELET 

banks and corporations. Of course, you pay 
me nothing if I fail.** 
u And if you succeed? ” 

“ Six dollars.” 

“ But that’s a ridiculous price ! ” 

“ Four dollars, then.” 

“ I mean it’s absurdly cheap.” 

“We detectives look on private cases, such 
as yours, as a diversion,” said Mr. Prince. 
“ It’s restful, after tracking people through 
subways, and chasing them in hansoms, and 
all that sort of thing. I say, are you fond 
of sailing? ” 

“ I’m mad about it.” 

“ I’ve a sloop yacht that’s a regular hum- 
mer; raced it to the Bermudas last year.” 

“ I didn’t know detectives were yachts- 
men,” said the girl. 

“ I was chasing a criminal,” said Mr. 
Prince. “ But he arrived first, and took 
refuge under the British flag.” 

“ Goodness ! ” 

* I got him, though I kidnaped him, you 
know. He was an awful rascal.” 

“ I should think a little case like mine 
would seem stupid, after that.” 

I? 



[Ue SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 


“ Not at all. Let’s see, where were we, 
anyway? ” 

“ We hadn’t got very far.” 

“ But I feel that we’re progressing,” said 
Mr. Prince, looking at her with an expression 
of great hopefulness. 

“ Of course you see much that is hidden 
from me,” said the girl. 

Detective Prince now wrote two words on 
the back of a blank check. 

“ Pm making a note of something,” he 
explained. “ I say, are there two ‘ p’s ’ in 
sapphire ? ” 

“I — Why, Pm not sure.” 

“ It looks awfully queer with only one.” 

“ If it looks queer, it’s probably right,” 
said the girl. 

“ Pm glad you can’t spell,” said Mr. 
Prince. “ I hate people who know every- 
thing.” 

“ I admire them.” 

“ Detectives know a great deal about cer- 
tain things,” said Mr. Prince. “ You ought 
to see me play polo.” 

“Polo?” 

“ I used to be a mounted policeman before 
18 


gfie SAPPHIRE BRACELET^ 

I became a detective, you know, and IVe 
never lost my fondness for horses.” 

“ But isn’t polo an expensive game? ” 

“ We detectives make a thundering lot of 
money. I’m thinking of retiring soon.” 

“ I suppose it is a strain.” 

“ It’s beginning to be an awful strain,” 
said Mr. Prince. u I shouldn’t wonder if 
this were to be my last case.” 

“You will probably marry some nice, re- 
formed criminal, and settle down,” said the 
girl. 

“ I shall do nothing of the sort.” 

“ Perhaps bachelors are happier.” 

“ They’re not,” said Mr. Prince. 

“ I hope you’re not thinking of marrying 
above your station,” said the girl. 

“ A detective is as good as anybody,” de- 
clared Mr. Prince. 

“ Aren’t we becoming a bit personal.” 

“ By Jove! We are x aren’t we? ” 

“ It’s always a mistake to become per- 
sonal.” 

“ One has to in my profession. It’s the 
personal note always that leads to clues, you 
know.” 


19 


Jtfe SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

“ But you haven’t done a thing toward 
finding the sapphire bracelet.” 

“ I’ve been leading up to it. A detect- 
ive’s first duty it to become acquainted with 
his client, and to inspire her with confidence, 
and all that sort of thing.” 

“ I can’t say you’ve been altogether suc- 
cessful.” 

“ That,” said Mr. Prince, “ is because you 
haven’t yet become acquainted with me.” 

“ I doubt if any one could ever really 
become acquainted with a detective,” said the 
girl ; “ they’re so suspicious, and relentless, 
and cynical.” 

“ Oh, I say,” exclaimed Mr. Prince, “ I’m 
not cynical ! ” 

“ Then you still retain a little faith in 
mankind ? ” 

“ A little.” 

“ And you are not entirely cynical? ” 

“ Er — not entirely.” 

“ I don’t understand it,” said the girl. 

“ Well, you see, I’ve always dealt with 
the better class of criminals — bank presi- 
dents and railroad officials, you know.” 

“Was Red Fennessy a bank president?” 

20 


fieSAPPHIRE BBACtlEI 

u That was before I reached the top of 
the ladder,” Mr. Prince replied uneasily. 
“ What about that sapphire bracelet, any- 
way? You couldn’t have mislaid it, could 
you ? ” 

“ That would have been impossible.” 

“ It’s easy to mislay things.” 

“ I couldn’t have mislaid that bracelet. 
I’m sure of it.” 

“ Then some one must have stolen it,” 
said Mr. Prince. “ When did you see it 
last?” 

“ Yesterday evening.” 

“ Before or after dinner? ” 

“ Before dinner.” 

“ It might have been a bellboy.” 

“ There aren’t any.” 

“ Or a chambermaid.” 

“ I’m sure it wasn’t.” 

“ Rather a difficult problem,” said Mr. 
Prince, wrinkling his forehead. 

“ It wasn’t in my room when I went up- 
stairs, after dinner,” the girl volunteered. 

“By Jove! Then it must have been a 
guest who took it.” 

“ I’d hate to think so.” 


21 



SAPPHIRE BR\CELET] 


“I — I really ought to see the room,” 
said Mr. Prince. 

“ You can see it to-morrow,” said the girl. 
“ It’s the one in the corner, on the second 
floor. Yes, the one with open shutters.” 

Mr. Prince favored the window indicated 
with a glance, then turned once more to the 
girl. 

“ I have a theory,” he said. 

“ What, so soon? ” 

“ It came to me all of a sudden. That’s 
the way things usually come to me.” 

“ After a series of deductions, no doubt.” 

‘‘Rather! I’ve been deducing right 
along, ever since I met you.” 

“ And your theory? ” 

“ That,” said Mr. Prince, “ is a secret.” 

“ I presume it would be hardly profes- 
sional to tell me, but I’m dying to know.” 

“ You’d be surprised if I were to tell you 
— uncommonly surprised.” 


^SAPPHIRE BRACELET^ 


11 Not too fast,” cautioned Mr, Prince, 
preparing to make notes. 

“ I should say it contained nine or ten 
sapphires.” 

“ Big ones? ” 

“ Beauties ! And it wasn’t a clasp brace- 
let; it was one of the kind you slip over your 
hand.” 

“ Yes, I know,” said Mr. Prince. 

“ And there was a little ribbon of dia- 
monds running in and out between the sap- 
phires.” 

“ I don’t think I understand.” 

“ You’d understand in a moment if you 
saw it,” said the girl. “ And it was chased.” 

“ I think pearls are more chaste,” said 
Mr. Prince. “ Do you care for pearls? ” 

“ Do you really believe you’ll be able to 
find the bracelet? ” asked the girl. 

“ I’m sure I’ll find it.” 

“ If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go in 
now,” said the girl. 

“ There are lots of questions I haven’t 
asked you,” objected Mr. Prince. “ Be- 
sides, the hotel is deserted — everybody’s 
gone to a picnic.” 



44 My aunt didn’t go to the picnic. There 
she is, on the veranda.” 


The girl rose from the hammock; Mr. 
Prince sprang to his feet. 

44 I must see you again, soon,” he said. 

44 Is it necessary? ” 

“ Absolutely! ” 

44 Perhaps if you were to be at the boat- 
house, at five — ” 

44 I’ll be there,” said Mr. Prince. 

44 You mustn’t count on seeing me.” 

44 But you’ll come if you can? ” 

44 Yes, if I can. Good-afternoon.” 

Mr. Prince watched the girl as she re- 
treated across the lawn; she was wonder- 
fully graceful, he thought, and — By 
Jove, she had gone off without her book! 
He picked it up, almost tenderly, then settled 
himself in the hammock. 

44 1 forgot to ask her if I might, but I’m 
sure she wouldn’t mind,” he said to him- 
self. 44 I’ll stay here till half-past four, and 
then I’ll look about for that boathouse. I’ve 
got myself into no end of a mess, I fancy. 
But she’s — she’s so — ” 

Mr. Prince gazed dreamily at the sky. 

24 


CHAPTER III 


W HEN Mr. Prince had left New 
York in his motor car at five 
o’clock that morning, it had been 
with the intention of dining at the Ken- 
wood Country Club, which lay some twenty 
odd miles beyond the little Lake View Hotel 
where he now was. Of course, it was still 
possible for him to dine there, even if he 
kept his appointment at the boathouse, an 
appointment he had not the slightest inten- 
tion of missing. That he should play in 
the golf tournament, to be held on the Ken- 
wood links next day, was, however, just the 
least bit doubtful. He could manage it by 
making an early start in the morning. But 
so much depended on his interview with the 
girl! 

He wondered if she had suspected he was 
*5 



%e SAPPHIRE BRACELET? 


not a detective. He had been rather 
clever in his deceit, he thought. Still, he 
mustn’t underestimate her intelligence; that 
would be a grave mistake. He was sure 
he hadn’t underestimated her charm. She 
was the most charming creature it had ever 
been his good fortune to meet. It was, 
moreover, quite too bad that their meeting 
should have been the result of a misunder- 
standing on her part. 

Great Scott! Suppose a man should ar- 
rive on the four o’clock train! And sup- 
pose he were a detective ! Mr. Prince 
knew vaguely that there were laws — un- 
pleasant laws — applying to citizens who 
passed themselves off as police officers. 
And what were detectives but glorified po- 
licemen ? 

“ I may have got myself into no end of a 
scrape,” he thought, a trifle ruefully. 

Still, it was very probable that no detec- 
tive would arrive by the four o’clock train. 
Besides, he wouldn’t have missed meeting 
the girl for anything — not for a year in 
state’s prison; not for two years, by 
George ! 

2 6 


This sincere, if misguided, declaration 
tended to restore his confidence amazingly. 
Looking at his watch, he saw it was now 
but half-past three; a half-hour yet to 
dream of the girl before the fateful four 
o’clock train should arrive. She was so 
pretty, and her smile so adorable; the hint 
of mischief in her eyes was truly enchanting; 
he was her slave, her willing slave, and he 
would follow her — not openly, of course, 
for that would give offense. But he’d fol- 
low her, and be near her always till — till — 
Just what Mr. Prince resolved, only the sand- 
man knew, for Mr. Prince was once more 
fast asleep. 

Let it be said in his defense, if sleep need 
a defense, that Mr. Prince had gone to bed 
late the night before; also, he had risen at 
five, acting as his own chauffeur, had driven 
a long distance. Then, too, the hammock 
was most comfortable; its enticement was not 
to be denied. 

The shadows lengthened, creeping east- 
ward; a faint whistle announced the ap- 
proach of the four o’clock train; ten min- 
utes later, a shabby omnibus, drawn by two 
27 



j%e SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

dejected-looking horses, drew up before the 
hotel. And still Mr. Prince slept. 

That he should be awakened twice in one 
afternoon, and each time by a girl, seems 
strange, indeed. But the arm of coincidence 
is long, and its powers elastic, to be stretched 
as easily as one stretches the truth. Which 
accounts, perhaps, for the fact that it was a 
firm young hand on his shoulder that now 
summoned Mr. Prince from slumberland. 

He obeyed the summons slowly and 
sleepily — so slowly that the girl grew a 
little impatient. 

44 You’ve got to wake up,” she said. 

“Why?” demanded Mr. Prince, opening 
his eyes. 

44 Because I want the hammock.” 

Mr. Prince looked hurt. 

44 I’m in a hurry,” said the girl, who was 
evidently a servant. 

44 Oh 1 ” said Mr. Prince, rising to his 
feet. 44 Here, I’ll help you.” 

Slipping the hooks from their support- 
ing ropes, he rolled the hammock into a neat 
bundle. 44 Is the four o’clock train in yet? ” 
he asked. 

28 



/ 


“ The ’bus arrived five minutes ago.” 

“ Any passengers? ” 

“ Only one — a man.” 

“Ahi” said Mr. Prince. 

The girl now picked up the hammock 
and started toward the hotel, Mr. Prince 
gazing after her with troubled eyes. 

“ That explains it,” he said to himself, 
“ the man who came in the ’bus must have 
been a detective. Or else, why the deuce 
did she send a chambermaid for her ham- 
mock? ” 

Perhaps it was her method of dismissing 
him from the case. He must remember, 
however, that she may not have known he 
was occupying her hammock. Perhaps he 
had but witnessed a daily occurrence? Per- 
haps the hammock was removed to the hotel 
every afternoon at four? Perhaps he had 
been awakened by the chambermaid simply 
because his presence in the hammock had 
prevented her from following an established 
custom ? Here was a whole series of plausi- 
ble conjectures. Besides, it was silly to 
take other than a hopeful view of things. 

Yet it wasn’t so easy to be optimistic 



TSe SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


where one’s affections were engaged. And 
certainly his affections were engaged. Oh, 
rather I His meeting with the girl meant 
far more to him than a pleasant incident of 
an idle afternoon.' It was an event — a big, 
breathless, bewildering event. It was 
dashed romantic, too. Mr. Prince was 
agreeably surprised to find there was so much 
romance left in the world. 

And to think he had quitted New York 
that morning with no other idea than to 
reach the Kenwood Club by dinner time, 
and to drive a piffling golf ball a little far- 
ther, to approach a little better, and to putt 
a little truer than the next man, on the mor- 
row. And here he was, acting quite like a 
hero in a story book. True, he had told 
more lies than lovers usually tell in story 
books. Which proved, by George, that 
truth was stranger than fiction! 

But they would be difficult to explain, 
those lies. That is, they might be. It 
would make a great difference if his theory 
concerning the disappearance of the bracelet 
proved correct. It wasn’t exactly a theory, 
either; it was little more than an impression. 
30 


sapphire mam] 



Yet Mr. Prince couldn’t help suspecting that 
the girl had not been robbed of a sapphire 
bracelet. 

Still, she might have been robbed. And 
she might have been expecting a detective 
by the four-o’clock train. If this were true, 
it would mean, of course, that the single 
passenger in the hotel ’bus had been a detec- 
tive. By Jove! She might be consulting 
him this very minute! 

Mr. Prince’s eye now encountered the 
book bound in green buckram, which lay on 
the grass, not far away, the encounter re- 
sulting in the book being transferred to his 
pocket. Although not particularly impor- 
tant in itself, the fact of having it in his 
pocket comforted him. 

“ It will, at least, give me an opportunity 
to speak to her again,” he said to himself, 
“ even if she doesn’t keep her appointment at 
the boathouse.” 

The clerk of the Lake View Hotel, a 
brisk, business-like young man, possessing a 
mop of curly brown hair, and wearing a won- 
derful green tie, was making out bills. He 
3i 




o ^07 



£^e SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

had just decided that six days, at three dollars 
and a half a day, plus extra charges for 
trunks, and ’bus fare, came to twenty-two 
dollars and twenty-five cents, when Mr. 
Prince approached the counter behind which 
he sat, and reached for the hotel register. 

44 Pleasant day,” observed the clerk, nod- 
ding affably. “ Will you stop with us to- 
night? ” 

44 I shouldn’t wonder,” said Mr. Prince, 
studying the last entry on the register. 

44 Can give you a good room, with a 
bath,” volunteered the clerk. 

44 I’ll take it.” 

44 Can’t show it to you yet.” 

44 Any time before dinner will do.” 

“ Six o’clock, then.” 

44 That will do nicely.” 

44 If you want your automobile washed — ” 

44 1 think not, thanks. Where is the boat- 
house from here? ” 

44 You go past the barn, then turn to your 





14 Two But they’re both over 
island to-day. You can have one 
row.” 

“ Perhaps FU want one to-morrow,” said 
Mr. Prince. 

44 Gee, but it must be great to travel 
around like that in an automobile ! ” thought 
the clerk. 

“ By Jove, it would be great if I could take 
her for a sail to-morrow ! ” thought Mr. 
Prince. 44 Of course I’d have to ask her 
aunt, too. I wonder what she’s like! That 
chap who registered last night may be a de- 
tective, though.” 

44 Dave Warner, N. Y.” The name 
wasn’t at all reassuring; nor was the city 
he had given as his place of residence. 
Still, one needn’t borrow trouble. Besides, 
the boathouse was the real test; if she came 
to the boathouse, all was well. Having 
reached this decision, Mr. Prince left the 
hotel, and, following the directions given 
him by the clerk, soon came to a fringe of 
willows. Beyond this, he discovered a little 
pavilion, and a primitive landing, to which 
several rowboats were moored. 


the 


to-mor- 



SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


Mr. Prince inspected tHe boats carefully. 
He tried to think of some plausible excuse 
that would permit of his taking the girl for 
a row. He could think of none. But there 
was no harm in holding the boats in mind. 
Chance, or fate — Mr. Prince was strongly 
inclined to believe it was fate — had been 
most generous to him that afternoon. Very 
well, he would leave it to fate then. Only 
he would keep his eyes open, and be ready 
to act promptly if opportunity offered. In 
the meantime, he would sit on a bench in the 
little pavilion, and take a peep into the book 
he carried in his pocket. 

From where he stood, Mr. Prince could 
see but part of the interior of the pavilion 
he now approached; he was, therefore, quite 
unprepared to find it occupied — occupied 
by a man. The man in question, tall, dark, 
and powerfully built, wore checked clothes 
and a black mustache; a resplendent dia- 
mond flashed from the little finger of his left 
hand. 

Seeing Mr. Prince, the man laid aside the 
newspaper he had been reading, and eyed 
the newcomer keenly. 

—31 


“ I think,” he said, “ you are the man 

I want to talk to.” 

Mr. Prince started guiltily. “ I don’t be- 
lieve I — er — quite understand,” he fal- 
tered. 

“ My name is Dave Warner,” said the 
man. 

Mr. Prince managed a sickly smile. 
“ I’m sorry, Mr. Warner, but I have no 
time to spare. I — I was just going back 
to the hotel.” 

“ In that case, I’ll go with you,” said Mr. 
Warner. 

“Trapped!” muttered Mr. Prince. 

“ I didn’t catch that,” said Mr. Warner. 

“ It was nothing,” said Mr. Prince. “ I 
was just — er — wondering what you — er 
— wanted.” 

“A little matter of business,” Mr. War- 
ner explained. “ You hail from New York 
City, don’t you ? ” 

“Y — es,” admitted Mr. Prince. 

“ Thought so. There’s something about 
New Yorkers — I’m one, myself. Be- 
sides, your chug-wagon wears a New York 
number.” 


35 


“ There’s no use lying to a real detective,” 
thought Mr. Prince. “ I’m glad I didn’t at- 
tempt to deceive him.” 

“ Do you know how far it is from little 
old New York to this place? ” 

“ Only approximately.” 

“ He doesn’t know how far it is,” said 
Mr. Warner, addressing the lake. “ Now, 
what d’ye think of that? ” 

“I say!” exclaimed Mr. Prince. 
“ What has that got to do with it? ” 

“ I guess it’s about time to talk business,” 
said Mr. Warner. 

“ I wonder,” thought Mr. Prince, “ if I 
dare offer him money. It isn’t exactly 
honest to try and buy people off. But, dash 
it all, what else can I do? ” 

“ You don’t look to me like you would 
let a little money stand in the way of your 
comfort and happiness,” Mr. Warner con- 
tinued. 

“ I’m willing to pay a fair price, but not 
a cent more. I’m inclined to be liberal, 
but I won’t be imposed upon.” 

“ That,” said Mr. Warner, “ is the proper 
spirit.” 

36 




SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


Mr. Prince drew from his pocket, a neat 
leather case containing bank notes. “ How 
much do you want? ” he asked with a brisk 
air of business. 

“ Sixty-five dollars.” 

“ Cheap enough,” thought Mr. Prince, 
counting out the sum mentioned, and pass- 
ing it to his companion. 

“ Hold on a minute,” said Mr. Warner, 
“ while I write a receipt.” 

“ Wouldn’t a receipt be the least bit — er 
— inconvenient? ” 

“ Just as you like. It’s customary, but it 
ain’t necessary. Anyway, I’m prepared to 
deliver the goods. What’s more, you got 
a ten-year guarantee.” 

“ I fancy it will be all right without the 
guarantee,” said Mr. Prince. 

“ You can bet your sweet life it will ! It’s 
the best in the market, and it works like a 
charm.” 

“ Er — what?” 

“ I say the Sparrow Speedometer is the 
grandest speedometer made; it registers 
miles, and fractions of miles, up to ten 
thousand, and the sixty-five dollar one has a 






SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 


clock attached to it, besides. Hullo! 
What’s the matter with you ? ” 

“ Nothing — nothing at all,” said the 
dazed Mr. Prince. “ Only I thought — 
That is, I had been led to believe — That 
is — ” 

“ Didn’t the clerk at the hotel put you 
wise to me? ” demanded Mr. Warner. 

“ Yes, yes. What I meant was, I had no 
idea it was so late.” 

“ It’s only five minutes to five,” said Mr. 
Warner, glancing at his watch. “ Restful 
little place, this. Dropped off here to spend 
the night. Can’t ever tell when you’re going 
to strike business, though.” 

Five minutes to five ! The girl had 
promised to be at the boathouse at five, if 
she came at all. And Mr. Dave Warner 
had just lighted a long, black cigar. He 
mustn’t be allowed to remain in the pavilion ; 
he must be got rid of at all hazards. 


CHAPTER IV 


SCiTV course I know the Sparrow 
I a Speedometer, and have always 
meant to have one on my car,” 
Mr. Prince began tentatively. “ But you 
know how one puts things off ? ” 

“ Oh, Lord, yes! ” 

“ So, when the clerk told me about you, 
I was quite prepared to buy one.” 

“ Guess you’ve proved that,” said Mr. 
Warner. “Got your money, ain’t I?” 

“That’s it; you’ve got my money, but I 
haven’t yet received the speedometer.” 

“ It’s at the hotel.” 

“ But you’ll put it on the car for me ? ” 

“ Sure, I will. Any time you say.” 

“ As a matter of fact, I’m leaving at half- 
past five.” 

Mr. Warner rose reluctantly. “ I sup- 
39 



I^eSAPPHIREBRACElET 

pose I’d better get busy, then,” he said. 
“ It’s a kinda mean job to put ’em on. Sell- 
ing ’em’s a cinch, though. Don’t expect it’ll 
be ready for you for half an hour yet. See 
you before you go. So-long ! ” 

Mr. Prince waited till Mr. Warner had 
disappeared through the fringe of willows; 
then sat down, and breathed a great sigh of 
relief. 

“ It’s the very deuce what a guilty con- 
science will do to a man,” he thought. “ By 
George, I feel ten years older! It’s cross- 
ing bridges before they come to them, and 
looking for trouble where there isn’t any, 
that makes men old before their time,” he 
concluded philosophically. 

It was now five o’clock, the hour when the 
girl had said she would be at the boathouse 
— if she could come at all; a light wind 
rippled the lake, and stirred the fringe 
of willows; to the left of the island, a sail 
shone like silver in the sun. But sails, and 
winds, and willows interested Mr. Prince not 
at all; he kicked his heels impatiently, glanc- 
ing every half-minute at his watch. 

Would she come? Or wouldn’t she? 

40 




jffie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


Women were, of course, proverbially late in 
keeping appointments, and, for aught he 
knew, the proverb applied to girls, as well. 
Indeed, it was logical to suppose that all the 
cornerstones of this womanly failing had 
been laid during the tender years of girl- 
hood. Still, it wasn’t fair to look on it as 
entirely a feminine trait; he knew men, doz- 
ens of them, who were utterly unreliable 
when it came to keeping appointments. He 
wasn’t altogether reliable, himself. But 
such an important appointment! Mr. 
Prince left the pavilion, to pace nervously up 
and down before the boat landing. 

Ah! Some one was coming through the 
willows — some one dressed in white. Mr. 
Prince threw his cigarette into the water, ad- 
justed his tie with uncertain fingers, then 
gazed resolutely at the island. It wouldn’t 
do to appear too eager; he would wait till she 
was almost beside him before turning. His 
attitude, moreover, would be that of one 
keeping an important business appointment, 
rather than that of a lover keeping a tryst. 
So much depended on this meeting, that Mr. 
Prince determined to be impersonal, and de- 




SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 

tective-like, at any cost. He might even hint 
to her that time was money — to detectives, 
and that, as a class, members of his profes- 
sion did not like to be kept waiting since time 
was often of supreme importance to success. 

That extra instinct which lovers seem, at 
times, to possess, told him she was now quite 
near. Perhaps he might venture to turn? 

He turned. 

This manoeuvre, however, proved fatal to 
Mr. Prince’s impersonal, detective-like man- 
ner; it fell from him as leaves fall from the 
maples in autumn. For the glimpse of white 
Mr. Prince had caught through the willows 
had been a glimpse of white apron, and the 
girl who wore it was the chambermaid who 
had taken the hammock away from him ear- 
lier in the afternoon. 

Still, perhaps she carried a message from 
her? If she could send the chambermaid 
for her hammock, she could also send her to 
the boathouse. It might be that, finding it 
impossible to come herself — she had seemed 
a bit doubtful about being able to come — 
she had dispatched this girl to arrange for a 
new appointment. 

— - 4 2 


SAPPHIRE BRACELET? 

“Were you looking for me?” asked Mr. 
Prince. 

“Oh, no, sir! Mr. Smith sent me down 
to see if the boats had left the island yet.” 

“Ah! ” said Mr. Prince. 

“ I only see one,” said the girl. “ I guess 
dinner will be late to-night.” 

Mr. Prince remained silent. The girl as- 
sured herself that she had not overlooked 
the second sail, then turned, and disappeared 
through the fringe of willows. Left alone, 
Mr. Prince lighted a cigarette, and, entering 
the pavilion, stared moodily across the lake. 
She hadn’t come! She probably wouldn’t 
come! He had left it all to fate, and fate 
had dealt shabbily with him. Not that he 
could have done much for himself that after- 
noon. But there would be other afternoons 
— oh, rather ! Of course, he wasn’t worthy 
of her. He could be more worthy of her 
than he was though. He would be, by 
George! Besides, if to feel unworthy were 
a real bar, only blackguards would go a-woo- 
ing, and such a state of affairs would be quite 
too dreadful. Mr. Prince drew her book 
from his pocket, to gaze at it long and ear- 
41 



iTKe SAPPHIRE BMCEIEL 

nestly. He noticed now, what he had not 
noticed before: It was plainly a detective 
story. 

“Hm!” thought Mr. Prince. “That 
explains several things — everything, in fact. 
What an ass I was not to have guessed it! 
She had this book in her hand when she 
asked me if I were a detective. Power of 
suggestion, and all that sort of thing. Why, 
it’s as plain as can be! ” 

It was, of course, a bit humiliating to have 
made this discovery so late in the day. It 
was discouraging, too — uncommonly dis- 
couraging. A chap didn’t start building a 
house of hope every afternoon, nor as often 
as once in a blue moon. And when he did 
start building, it made him deuced sad to 
learn he’d been building on sand. Yet there 
must be a firmer foundation somewhere. 
Mr. Prince resolved not only to find this 
firmer foundation, but to rear an edifice on it 
that should reach the stars. In the mean- 
time, there was much to be grateful for. 

He was glad she liked detective stories, 
for he rather liked them, himself. Reading 
wasn’t at all in his line. But, once in a while, 

44 

W" 



when there was nothing better to do — 
the time he’d broken three ribs playing 
polo, for instance; he’d read a thundering 
lot, then. Anyway, it was a good sign. 
That Miss Chalmers at Bar Harbor, last 
year — how she did run on about books! 
And he’d never read a single one she’d men- 
tioned. Queer books by people with queer 
names. It made a chap feel dashed igno- 
rant. Yet she couldn’t swim a stroke, and 
was afraid of horses. 

But the girl he’d met this afternoon was 
different. She was crazy about sailing, for 
one thing; she’d said so, herself. And he’d 
wager she wasn’t afraid of anything. Well, 
a mouse, perhaps, or a cow. But there was 
something appealing and adorable in being 
afraid of a cow; it was so feminine. And 
he’d teach her to ride, if she didn’t already 
know how; and he’d get up a party for a 
short cruise on his yacht ; and — and — 

Discovering where his dreams were lead- 
ing him, Mr. Prince smiled ruefully. 
Dreams were all very well, but there was 
much to be done before they could come true. 
He didn’t know where she lived; he didn’t 



f^eSAPPHIRE BRACELET] 



even know her name. By Jove I Why 
hadn’t he thought of it before? Opening 
the book, he scanned the fly leaf eagerly. 
Yes, there it was, written rather scrawlingly 
in pencil. 

It wasn’t loyal, it was even absurd, yet Mr. 
Prince was greatly disappointed; for the 
name written on the fly leaf was “ Gladys 
Schwartz.” Mr. Prince felt instinctively 
that he could never be happy with a girl 
named Gladys Schwartz. She might be ev- 
erything that was charming; she might have 
eyes like — like stars, by George, and lips 
like cherries! But Gladys Schwartz! Re- 
turning the book to his pocket, Mr. Prince 
rose, and walked wearily toward the hotel. 

When an ideal is shattered, sharp splinters 
are sent flying, to pierce the heart. Mr. 
Prince’s heart was pierced in at least a dozen 
places, or so it seemed to him. He asked 
himself plaintively that time-worn question: 
“What’s in a name?” He answered it by 
declaring there was nothing in a name. 

Gladys Schwartz! 

Once more Mr. Prince reasoned with him- 
self, but as he reasoned in a circle, he natu- 
46 




‘TJie SAPPHIRE BRACELET? 

— ... ^ <rh . 


rally arrived, before long, at the point from 
which he had started. 

“ It’s quite useless,” he finally decided, “ I 
could never love a girl named Gladys 
Schwartz. And if I could, she probably 
could never love me,” 

So his meeting with the girl had been but 
an incident, after all. And he had consid- 
ered it, not so long ago, a big, breathless, 
bewildering event. Still, he had been mis- 
taken before. And he probably would be 
again — oh, rather ! He’d drive to the Ken- 
wood Club after dinner, and, on the morrow, 
drown his sorrows in golf. He’d show them 
how to play the game, by George! And, 
after he’d won the tournament, he’d chal- 
lenge the club’s professional, and beat him. 
And he’d enter his name for the Kinghaven 
Cup, to be played for next week near Pitts- 
burg. And then he’d go somewhere — to 
Bar Harbor, perhaps. And after that — 
Mr. Prince sighed dismally. 

As he neared the hotel, however, his 
thoughts took a more practical turn; he 
would get his bag from his car, and tidy up 
a bit before dinner. No, he would send a 
47 



j^e SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

boy for it. A stop at the car would mean 
an interview with Mr. Dave Warner, and 
Mr. Prince didn’t feel in the humor for talk- 
ing to Mr. Warner. Hadn’t Mr. Warner 
sold him a speedometer? How the deuce 
could a chap plead not guilty to a charge of 
speeding, when he had a speedometer star- 
ing him in the face? It was neither safe, nor 
sensible, to know how fast one went. Be- 
sides, there were far better speedometers in 
the market than the Sparrow. 

“ Your room’s ready for you,” said the 
clerk, ringing a bell. 

“Will you send some one for my bag? 
It’s in my motor.” 

“ I’ll send for it at once,” said the clerk, 
pushing the register toward Mr. Prince. 

While he was writing his name, the cham- 
bermaid, whom he had seen last at the boat 
landing, appeared. 

“ Show this gentleman to Room Sixteen,” 
said the clerk. 

Mr. Prince followed the chambermaid up- 
stairs, paused while she unlocked the door, 
then entered his room. It seemed to be a 
48 




/ 




jpeSAPPHIRE BRACELET 


corner room. It seemed — By Jove ! 
Hastening to the window, he looked out on 
the lawn. Yes, there were the two maples 
under which her hammock had been swung; 
and this was the room she had pointed out 
to him as hers. For a man who had re- 
nounced all thought of love, Mr. Prince was 
extravagantly excited. 

“ I say,” he exclaimed, “ wasn’t this room 
occupied — er — this afternoon ? ” 

“ Yes, sir. It was Miss Randolph’s room. 
Her aunt had the next one, Number Seven- 
teen. They left on the five o’clock train.” 

“ Miss Randolph! Are you sure? ” 

“ Yes, sir; Miss Dorothy Randolph.” 

“I — er — found a book this afternoon. 
It appears to belong to a — er — Miss 
Gladys Schwartz. Here it is.” 

“ Oh, that belongs to the hotel ! ” said the 
maid. “ Or at least I guess it does. Miss 
Schwartz left it behind when she went away 
last month. You can read it if you want to.” 

“ Thank you,” said Mr. Prince, “ but I’d 
rather not keep it, if you don’t mind.” 

As soon as the maid had gone from the 
room, Mr. Prince sank into a chair and gazed 





tfe SAPPHIRE BRACElETj 


ecstatically at the ceiling. Dorothy Ran- 
dolph! What a beautiful name! By 
George, he’d never doubt his instinct again! 
Something had told him he could never love 
a girl named Gladys Schwartz. And now 
he knew why. 

Dorothy Randolph! 


CHAPTER V 

S O it was Miss Dorothy Randolph, and 
not Miss Gladys Schwartz, who had 
sought his services as a detective. 
Mr. Prince felt ten years younger, and at 
least a hundred years happier. It was 
thoughtless of him not to have tipped the 
chambermaid who had made this clear to 
him, but he would attend to that later. In 
the meantime — And Miss Randolph — 
Miss Dorothy — had left, with her aunt, on 
the five o’clock train. This, of course, was 
not so satisfactory. Yet it explained a great 
deal — everything, in fact. 

In the first place, it was quite as he had 
supposed; Miss Dorothy had not been robbed 
of a sapphire bracelet. Indeed, now he 
came to think of it, she had never stated posi- 
tively that she had been robbed; and she had 


jjge SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

been most careful not to refer to the bracelet 
as “ my bracelet.” He had been too taken 
up with his own deceit to remember it at the 
time, but he remembered it perfectly — now. 
And he remembered the hint of mischief in 
her eyes, the adroitness with which she had 
evaded his questions. Finally, if one needed 
further proof, there was the appointment at 
the boathouse for five o’clock. “ I will come 
if I can,” she had said, knowing well she 
couldn’t come, as she was leaving on the five 
o’clock train. In short, he had been most 
grievously deceived. 

But the point was this: She probably 
considered the incident closed, and therein lay 
his advantage ; for it wasn’t closed, not by a 
great deal. Mr. Prince resolved, then and 
there, not only to pay her out, but to — He 
smiled tenderly, which would lead one to be- 
lieve that his second resolve was, in some 
way, connected with sentiment — a sentiment 
that touched the heart gently to happiness. 

Having allowed himself the luxury of a 
bath and fresh linen, Mr. Prince went down- 
stairs. He was very hungry; he felt, too, 
that a cocktail would taste uncommonly good. 

52 



fee SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


And, aside from that, he was most anxious to 
consult the hotel register. 

It did not take long to learn all the regis- 
ter could teach him; Miss Dorothy Randolph 
and her aunt had arrived six days ago; they 
had registered from New York; the aunt’s 
name was Mrs. Robert Alexander. From 
the clerk he learned that the five o’clock train 
was the best-equipped train on the line, and 
that it should reach New York at ten-twenty- 
three that evening. So they had evidently 
gone to New York. And now for that cock- 
tail. 

“ I’m sorry,” said the clerk, “ but we’re 
strictly temperance in this hotel. The old 
lady who owns it had a son go to the bad 
through drink, and — ” 

“ I see,” said Mr. Prince. “ And, by 
George, I don’t blame her! ” 

“ Of course I keep a flask for emergen- 
cies.” 

“Not for me; thanks. Is the dining 
room open yet? ” 

“ It will be open in about fifteen minutes. 
I’m afraid I can’t give you a table to your- 
self; we’re a little crowded just now.” 




tKe SAPPHIRE BRACElEl] 

“ Oh, that’s all right,” Mr. Prince replied 
carelessly, little dreaming what an important 
part his place at a certain table in the dining 
room was to play. 

From his chair on the veranda, Mr. Prince 
surveyed the picnic party as it filed past him; 
he saw a score of sun-burned, tired faces; he 
heard the young miss of seventeen implore 
the waggish young man of thirty-seven not 
to make her laugh any more. It was the 
waggish young man, no doubt, to whom the 
lady with the henna-colored hair referred as 
being “ such an acquisition.” She herself 
was such a dressy lady that Mr. Prince 
couldn’t help noticing her, or recognizing her, 
later, when he found himself sitting next to 
her at dinner. 

Mr. Dave Warner, who also sat at this 
table, greeted Mr. Prince most cordially. 

“ Well, I got it on,” he announced. 

“ Yes, I see you have,” Mr. Prince re- 
plied absently. 

“ I mean the speedometer.” 

“ The speedometer, of course,” said Mr. 
Prince. “ How stupid of me 1 ” 

“ I expect you thought I meant this,” said 

li. 


gie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

Mr. Warner, indicating the large diamond 
he wore on his little finger. “ Won it in a 
raffle last week. Worth three hundred if 
it’s worth a cent, and all it cost me was a dol- 
lar ticket. No luck at all. What? ” 

As Mr. Prince did not heed his explana- 
tion, Mr. Warner concluded that his late 
patron was “ stuck up,” and turned his atten- 
tion to the soup before him, thereby doing 
Mr. Prince a grave injustice; for, as a mat- 
ter of truth, Mr. Prince was not in the least 
“ stuck up it was simply that he was pre- 
occupied. And his preoccupation took the 
form of staring at the lady on his left, the 
lady with the henna-colored hair. 

It sounds rude, but really it wasn’t, for 
his stare did not include her face. Indeed, 
it was the hand that held her soup spoon 
that interested him. Circling the wrist, 
above this hand, he had discovered a brace- 
let. And the bracelet was set with sap- 
phires — one, two, three, four. He 
couldn’t count them, of course, but there 
seemed to be nine or ten. And there was 
no mistaking the little ribbon of diamonds 
that ran in and out, between the sapphires. 

55 



j%e SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

“ You’d understand in a moment if you 
saw it,” the girl had said, when he had 
failed, from her description, to make a pic- 
ture of the bracelet in his mind. And now 
he had seen, and he understood perfectly; 
the bracelet the woman on his left wore was 
the bracelet Miss Dorothy Randolph had 
described — there could be no doubt of it. 

Miss Randolph had said it was chased, 
too. And he had been silly enough to think 
she meant chaste. To make proof more con- 
clusive, the gold part of the bracelet was 
chased in delicate pattern. And, by Jove, 
the woman wearing the bracelet was agi- 
tated! Wasn’t her hand trembling? 

Perhaps the lady with the henna-colored 
hair had read somewhere that one should fill 
a soup spoon by pushing it away, and not 
toward one ? Perhaps she thought, since 
the young man on her right continued to 
stare at her hand, that it might be well to 
abandon the latter method as being — well, 
a trifle archaic? At all events, she now 
began to spoon her soup differently. And 
Still the young man stared. 

This, of course, is merely a theory. Yet 
56 
WP 





SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


there’s no denying the lady’s hand now 
trembled. Indeed, detectives even more ex- 
perienced than Mr. Prince would have agreed 
that she was agitated. And a visible agita- 
tion is, as every one knows, an evidence of 
mental distress. 

Why, then, was the lady distressed? Was 
it possible she wore a stolen bracelet? Was 
it consciousness of guilt that made her hand 
tremble? Or was it embarrassment? 

A swift glance at her face told Mr. Prince 
that it was quite red. Here was another 
suspicious sign. The flush of shame, and 
the blush of innocence are, unfortunately, 
very much alike. Still, ladies with henna- 
colored hair did not, as a rule — Or did 
they? Mr. Prince wasn’t quite sure 
whether they did or didn’t; he was positive, 
however, that the bracelet the lady wore 
was the bracelet Miss Randolph had de- 
scribed to him that afternoon ; the matter did 
not admit of doubt. 

Assured of this, Mr. Prince turned his 
attention to his dinner. But occasionally 
his eyes would stray to the left; the bracelet 
fascinated him. 





SAPPHIRE BRACELET? 


A tender twilight hacT marked the close 
of this perfect June day. But now stars 
were being scattered over the sky, while the 
world waited for the miracle of night. 

Mr. Prince also waited for a miracle, but 
of another sort. The miracle he had in 
mind was one that should permit of his ad- 
dressing the lady with the henna-colored 
hair. She had left the dining room some 
time ago, and was now sitting on the hotel 
veranda. She was alone, too. Moreover, 
save for himself and the lady, the veranda 
was deserted. This surely was in his favor. 
But now could he turn it to account ? 

Mr. Prince hovered near the precipice of 
a decision, but could not find the courage to 
step off into space. He might land on the 
jagged rocks of her displeasure, and that 
would hurt. Besides, it was dashed un- 
gentlemanly for a strange man to address a 
strange woman, even when the woman did 
wear a bracelet that was — 

“ It’s a deuced queer situation, any way 
you look at it,” Mr. Prince confided to him- 
self. “ Hang it all, Pm blessed if I know 
what to do! If she’d only drop her fan! ” 
58 





BUT OCCASIONALLY HIS EYES WOULD STRAY TO THE LEFT; 
THE BRACELET FASCINATED HIM 



j?>e SAPPHIRE BRACELE T 

Having reduced the miracle he desired 
performed from a vague, indefinite some- 
thing, to the practical proportions of a lady’s 
fan, Mr. Prince lighted a cigarette, and 
waited. 

It is, of course, quite impossible that 
the lady with the fan could have read his 
thoughts, for Mr. Prince’s chair was sepa- 
rated from hers by at least five feet, and he 
had not glanced at her more than twenty 
times since he had appeared on the veranda. 
Nor could she have dreamed that, in drop- 
ping her fan, she would be performing a 
miracle. It is, therefore, idle to suppose 
she would drop it on purpose, particularly 
as it was one of those delicate affairs, of silk 
and ivory, which contact with the veranda 
could in no wise improve. 

As a matter of truth, when the time came, 
it was her handkerchief, and not her fan, she 
dropped. 

Mr. Prince, discerning its first flutter as 
it left her hand, shot out of his chair like a 
rocket. 

“ Allow me,” he said. 

“ Thank you so much,” said the lady, ac- 

59 



jffie SAPPHIRE BRACEIET 

cepting her property with apparent grati- 
tude. “ It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it? ” 

“ Ripping! Simply ripping! ” Mr. 
Prince agreed, drawing up his chair. 

“ You’ve thrown away your cigarette. 
I’m sorry you did that.” 

“ I would like to smoke, if you don’t 
mind,” said Mr. Prince, producing his gold 
case. 

“ Oh, you men — how I envy you ! ” 

“ Do you really? ” 

“ I do, indeed.” 

“ Oh, I don’t know ! There are certain 
advantages. But we can’t wear pretty 
gowns — and jewelry.” 

“ You have so much freedom.” 
u It doesn’t do us much good,” Mr. 
Prince declared gloomily; “some one is 
always getting the best of us.” 

“ Are you unhappy, too? ” asked the lady. 
“ Er — well — er — not exactly.” 

“ A hidden sorrow, perhaps.” 

“ Yes, that’s it,” said Mr. Prince. 

“ I, too, have known sorrow,” said the 
lady. 

“ A deuced sorrowful thing, sorrow,” Mr. 
60 



/ 


SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

Prince replied uneasily. “ I’m fond of 
jewelry, though,” he added tactfully. 

“ I’d trade all my jewels — all — for hap- 
piness.” 

“By George! Would you?” 

“ Yes, I would,” said the lady, a little 
impatiently. 

“ Would you trade them for anything 
else?” asked Mr. Prince. 

“ I might,” said the lady, somewhat 
doubtfully. 

“ I wouldn’t want them all, of course.” 

“ Well, I should hope not! If you knew 
what trouble I had getting this sapphire 
bracelet of mine.” 

“ I can guess,” Mr. Prince hinted darkly. 
“ No you can’t, not in a thousand years.” 
“ Anyway, it’s the bracelet I want.” 

“ I must say I like your nerve,” said the 
lady. 

“ I’m sorry if I’ve offended you,” said Mr. 
Prince. “I didn’t mean to; I didn’t, hon- 
estly.” 

“ We’ll let it pass this once,” said the lady. 
“ I’m really in earnest about the bracelet.” 
“ You seem to be,” the lady replied suspi- 
6 1 



ciously. “ I don’t know what your game is, 
young man, but I give it to you straight; 
there’s nothing doing.” 

“ That,” said Mr. Prince, “ is for you to 
decide. I have an offer to make that may 
interest you; at least, there can be no harm 
in your listening to it. And I think it will 
be to your advantage, greatly to your ad- 
vantage, to hear what I have to say.” 

What arguments Mr. Prince now pre- 
sented, it would be difficult to state. He 
was, naturally, above threatening a lady. 
But there are other methods which may be 
adopted, even against ladies; and the lady, 
in this case, was plainly an adventuress. 
Then, too, she loved liberty. Had she not 
said so, herself? And perhaps the hidden 
sorrow she had referred to was the uglier 
sorrow of remorse? She had admitted, also, 
encountering great difficulty in acquiring the 
bracelet. Was not this admission more or 
less incriminating? 

Mr. Prince bent to the task before him. 
It wasn’t an easy task, for the lady, at first, 
proved quite obdurate. But as constant 
dripping wears away a stone, so was the 
6 2 


‘Gie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


lady’s obduracy worn away by the insistent 
Mr. Prince; from being adamant, she be- 
came difficult, then merely unreasonable. 
Having reached this stage, Mr. Prince saw 
it would be useless to attempt to go farther; 
she would never be reasonable, he decided. 
So, letting well enough alone, he now pro- 
ceeded along more familiar lines. He 
would do this, if the lady would do that. 
No? Perhaps she would agree to this, 
then? She wouldn’t? Pray, what would 
she agree to? It ended in the lady making 
her own terms. 

Mr. Prince was, however, not at all cast 
down by her ruling in the case. A definite 
understanding had been reached, and that 
was a great deal. Besides, he had succeeded 
in what he had set out to accomplish. He 
had been deucedly diplomatic, too, for he 
had not even suggested to the lady that she 
might have stolen the bracelet. Indeed, 
there had been no scene of any description, 
which was another cause for congratulation, 
for there might so easily have been a deucedly 
disagreeable scene. 

Mr. Prince rose, threw away his ciga- 

63 



rette, and bestowed a friendly smile on his 
late antagonist. 

“Leaving?” asked the lady. 

“ Yes, I think I’ll go in now. Good- 
night.” 

The lady followed him with her eyes till 
he disappeared through the door leading 
into the hotel. 

“I’d give a dollar to know what that 
kid is up to,” she said to herself. “ He’s 
certainly a queer one.” 




CHAPTER VT 

I N the hotel parlor, a piano, sadly out 
of tune, was being played by a sallow- 
faced young man with dreamy eyes. 
He played rather well, Mr. Prince thought. 
But the young man’s audience evidently did 
not think so, for they were, even now, insist- 
ing that he give up his place to “ Sadie.” 
After a proper display of reluctance, Sadie 
allowed herself to be led to the piano, 
where she plunged, with a splendid splash, 
into a raging torrent of ragtime. 

“ Now, that’s what I call music,” said a 
stout matron. “ I wish my Mary could play 
like that.” 

“ Sadie certainly can play,” agreed her 
companion. “ I never knew anybody that 
could get more out of a piano.” 

Although Sadie was doing her valiant 





'Gie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 



best to drown all conversation, the sallow- 
faced young man couldn’t help overhearing 
these remarks. He had been deprived of his 
place at the piano for rendering a Chopin 
prelude. Smiling sardonically, he mur- 
mured something that had to do with pearls 
and swine. 

It must be confessed, however, that Mr. 
Prince saw nothing inimical to America’s 
musical future in the change of programme. 
Indeed, he rather enjoyed Sadie’s spirited 
performance. Besides, just at present, he 
was in a quandary as to what he should do 
next. 

From his place outside the parlor door, 
Mr. Prince reviewed the past, and tried to 
imagine the future. Life was singularly like 
a game of bridge, he decided. Having de- 
clared trumps, he had already succeeded in 
taking one trick by playing the knave ; but in 
order to capture the queen, he must finesse 
with caution. After studying his cards 
most carefully, Mr. Prince rose, and sought 
the hotel clerk, whom he found reading a 
magazine six months old behind the counter 
in the office. 

66 




Sie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


“ Sorry to disturb you/’ he said, “ but 
when is the next train for New York? ” 

“ To-morrow morning at seven.” 

“ Isn’t there one before that? ” 

“ I’m afraid not,” said the clerk. 
“ There are plenty of trains, you know, but 
very few of them stop at our station. Were 
you thinking of leaving to-night? ” 

“ I find I’ve got to be in New York early 
to-morrow morning,” Mr. Prince confided. 
“ Surely there’s some train somewhere.” 

“ How about your automobile? You 
could get there in that, couldn’t you?” 

“ Y-es, I could; but I’d lose my way, like 
as not. Besides, I shouldn’t care to drive all 
night, after the driving I’ve done to-day.” 

“ What kind of a car have you? ” asked 
the clerk. 

“ It’s a corker! ” Mr. Prince declared en- 
thusiastically. 

“ I mean what make is it? ” 

“It’s a Fiat, this year’s model; six cylin- 
ders, four speeds, two direct drives. By 
George, but she can go! And does,” Mr. 
Prince added reminiscently. “ But, I say, 
what has that got to do with it? ” 

67 



SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

“ I was thinking you might get some one 
to drive for you. There’s a garage in the 
village that employs two or three pretty good 
men.” 

“ That’s not a bad idea ! ” exclaimed Mr. 
Prince. “ But he’s got to be an experienced 
driver, and thoroughly familiar with the car, 
you understand.” 

“ Sure,” said the clerk, “ I understand per- 
fectly. Perhaps you’d better do the tele- 
phoning yourself.” 

When Mr. Prince emerged from the 
glass-covered box in which the telephone was 
situated, he was smiling cheerfully. 

“ I’ve got one,” he announced. “ He’s 
coming right over on a motor cycle.” 

“ Guess I’d better get busy, and send for 
your bag,” said the clerk. “ I’ll not charge 
you anything for the room. Dinner’s sev- 
enty-five cents.” 

Mr. Prince eyed the clerk thoughtfully. 
No, he didn’t seem the kind to be offended 
by a — Drawing a leather case from his 
pocket, he examined it anxiously. By 
Jove! There was nothing in it but a two- 
dollar bill! And he had meant to give the 
68 
WP 




fie SAPPHIRE BRACELET J 


chambermaid who had shown him to his 
room a thundering big tip. He’d spent an 
awful lot of money since sunrise. But there 
was plenty more where it had come from — 
oh, rather! Besides, he was almost sure to 
be passing this way again, and, in that event, 
neither the clerk nor the chambermaid would 
have any cause for complaint. 

A series of irregular explosions announc- 
ing the approach of a motor cycle, Mr. 
Prince paid for his dinner, collected what 
was left of his two-dollar bill, and, request- 
ing that his bag be sent out to his car, has- 
tened to the veranda to meet his new chauf- 
feur. 

“ Are you the man from the garage? ” he 
asked, as the motor cycle, with a final cough, 
came to a stop. 

“ That’s me. Was it you that sent for a 
chauffeur? ” 

“Yes. You are sure you can drive a 
Fiat?” 

“ Can I drive a Fiat? Well, just you 
watch me.” 

“ And you know the road to New York? ” 

“ With my eyes shut,” declared the new 
6c 



chauffeur. “ I like driving at night — no 
constables to bother you.” 

“ Yes,” said Mr. Prince, “ it’s bully, isn’t 
it?” 

“ It’s a peach of a night for a run, all 
right, all right. My name’s Bill. What’s 
yours ? ” 

“ Prince — Morton Prince.” 

“Are you starting soon, Mr. Prince?’'’ 

“ At once. We might as well go over to 
the car.” 

“ I’ll wheel my motor cycle over to the 
barn,” said Bill. “ Be with you in a jiffy.” 

There was something very pleasing about 
Bill, Mr. Prince decided. He was young, 
and strong, and looked thoroughly com- 
petent; and he had a frank, honest, boyish 
face. 

The lady with the henna-colored hair was 
still sitting on the veranda. And now, as 
Mr. Prince passed her at some distance, on 
his way to his car, she called to him. 

“ You weren’t leaving without saying 
good-by, were you ? ” she demanded. 

“I — er — I don’t think so,” Mr. 
Prince replied. 

jo. 


gfe SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 

“ I should hope not! ” 

“ Well — er — good-by.” 

“ Wait a minute,” said the lady. “ Are 
you the Morton Prince?” 

“I’m blessed if I know. Why?” 

“ Because if you are, I wish I’d known it 
sooner.” 

“ I’m sure I’m not.” 

“ I’ll bet anything you are,” said the lady. 
“ I’ve read about you in the papers lots of 
times; you play polo, and are a great swell.” 

“ You shouldn’t believe everything you 
read in the papers,” said Mr. Prince. 

“ And you’re richer than mud.” 

“ Richer than some mud, perhaps. But 
what has that got to do with it? ” 

“ Nothing. Only it would have had if 
I’d known it half an hour ago,” said the 
lady. “ Anyway, I’ll keep an eye on you.” 

“ Please don’t bother,” said Mr. Prince. 

u No bother at all,” said the lady. 

“Er — good-by,” said Mr. Prince. 

“ Well, if that ain’t just my luck,” sighed 
the lady, as Mr. Prince disappeared round 
the corner of the hotel. “ I had him be- 
tween my thumb and finger, and I let him 
71 



get away. But how was I to know he was 
Morton Prince?” 


For the first hour of the ride, Mr. Prince 
kept awake; then, satisfied that Bill was not 
only competent to run the car, but could 
drive quite as well as he could himself, Mr. 
Prince ordered him to stop. 

“ I’m uncommonly sleepy,” he explained, 
as Bill, somewhat wonderingly, applied both 
brakes, “ and I’m afraid to go to sleep, for 
fear I’ll fall out.” 

“ Too bad we haven’t a tonneau,” said 
Bill. 

“ I was thinking you might tie me in with 
the tow rope.” 

A series of loops and knots, and Mr. 
Prince was tied securely in his seat. 

“ I guess you haven’t got any confidence 
in me,” said Bill, with a joyous grin. 

“ None at all,” replied Mr. Prince. 
“ The fact is, Bill, your reckless driving has 


CHAPTER VII 


A RRIVING in New York about half- 
past two in the morning, Mr. Prince 
borrowed enough money at his 
garage to provide supper and a night’s 
lodging for Bill; then, letting himself into 
his apartment, promptly went to bed. He 
slept till eleven, so it was not till early after- 
noon that he could give his attention to the 
important problem of locating Miss Ran- 
dolph’s place of residence. 

There were, he found, eight Robert Alex- 
anders in the telephone book; one of these 
lived on Madison Avenue. Very well, he 
would try that number first. 

“Is Mrs. Robert Alexander at home?” 
Mr. Prince asked of a faint, far-away voice. 

“ She’s in her heavenly home, if that’s 
what you mean,” the voice replied. 

73 




>jtiie SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 


“ Oh, I’m so sorry ! ” said Mr. Prince. 
“I — er — er — Good-by. 

“ Now, that was dashed awkward ! I 
hope I didn’t hurt anybody’s feelings,” 
thought Mr. Prince. “ Here goes for the 
next number, anyway. I’m bound to hit it 
right sometime.” 

The next Mrs. Robert Alexander was at 
home. 

“ Who is it wants her, please ? ” 

“ It’s — er — What I really want to 
know is — There are so many Mrs. 
Robert Alexanders in the book, you see, and 
I’m looking for a friend — that is, a friend 
of a friend who was at a little hotel in New 
Jersey a day or two ago. Is this the Mrs. 
Alexander? ” 

“ No, it ain’t,” said a cross voice. 

Mr. Prince had no trouble in talking to 
the next Mrs. Alexander, for she answered 
the telephone in person. 

“ Yes, this is Mrs. Alexander,” she said. 
“ Who wants me?” 

“ I do,” said Mr. Prince. 

“ I wonder who the deuce she imagines I 





am,” thought Mr. Prince, feeling rather un- 
comfortable. 

“ I closed the door into the hall,” ex- 
plained the voice at the other end of the wire. 
“ Where have you been all this time, you bad 
boy?” 

“ Er — er — Where have you been?” 
replied the startled Mr. Prince. 

“ I’ve been in town for a whole week, and 
I’m leaving to-morrow for Tuxedo. Can’t 
you arrange — ” 

“ I’m awfully sorry, but I can’t possibly.” 

“Why! Why! You mean you re- 
fuse?” 

“I — er — I’m quite sure there must 
be some mistake.” 

“A most natural mistake, on my part; 
but, believe me, one that will hardly occur 
again, Mr. ” 

“ Don’t say it,” implored Mr. Prince. 
“ I’m somebody else. I — I — ” 

A faint click announcing that the lady to 
whom he was endeavoring to explain had 
hung up her receiver, Mr. Prince followed 
her example. 

“By Jove,” he thought, “this is awful! 

75 



j^e SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

I suppose there’s no great harm done, but just 
the same I’m glad I didn’t look at her ad- 
dress.” 

Half closing his eyes, Mr. Prince cov- 
ered with a card that portion of the Alex- 
ander list to which he had already tele- 
phoned; then, taking down his receiver, tried 
a new number. This time, too, he changed 
his tactics. 

“ Is this Miss Randolph’s place of resi- 
dence?” he asked. “Miss Dorothy Ran- 
dolph?” 

“ Yes. Do you wish to speak to her? ” 

“ Y-es. That is, I’d like to speak to her, 
but—” 

“ Hold the phone, please.” 

“I say! I can’t speak to her now — 
I—” 

“ I find she has gone out,” Mr. Prince 
was informed a moment later. “ Who shall 
I say rang her up.” 

“ Mr. — er — er — er — er — ” 

“ Mr. What?” 





that day, Mr. Prince decided. To-morrow 
morning, perhaps? At all events, he now 
knew where she lived, and that was some- 
thing. 

At four o’clock that afternoon, Mr. Prince 
drove his long, gray car past a certain house 
in a certain street; then, turning, he drove 
past it again. In appearance it wasn’t a 
wonderful house in any way, yet it seemed to 
interest him. 

“ I wonder if I’ll ever be allowed inside 
it,” he thought. “ And I wonder — Sup- 
pose you take the car now, Bill. We’ll go 
through the Park, and out along the river to 
a place I know where we’ll have tea, and 
talk things over.” 

“ Another plate of toast, waiter. Have 
a cup of tea, Bill? ” 

“ I’ve already had two, sir.” 

“ Two is nothing when one is thirsty.” 

“ I was thirsty,” Bill admitted, whereupon 
Mr. Prince poured more tea; then, selecting 
a cigarette from his gold case, lighted it, and 
gazed dreamily across the Hudson. 

“That’s Fort Lee, ain’t it?” asked Bill, 




[^e SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 


indicating a ferry slip and a huddle of houses 
on the New Jersey side. 

“ Yes, that’s Fort Lee.” 

“ Thought so. I was there once.” 

“Do you drink, Bill?” 

“ Nothing to speak of.” 

“ The last chauffeur I had disgraced me 
by running into a hansom on Fifth Avenue.” 

“ Was he loaded? ” 

“ Well, he wasn’t exactly sober.” 

“ I’d cut out booze perpetual if I had a 
good job,” said Bill. 

“ I was thinking you might suit me,” said 
Mr. Prince, “ though I hadn’t considered en- 
gaging a chauffeur till autumn.” 

“ If you’ll take me, I’ll suit you fine,” Bill 
declared earnestly; “no joy rides, and no 
knocking down money on the side — that’s 
me. I’d like to drive for you, Mr. Prince, 
and your car’s a peach. I wouldn’t have to 
wear a uniform, would I? ” 

“No, you wouldn’t have to wear livery; 

“ Them’s the leather things you wear on 





<bie SAPPHIRE BBACEltlJ 


“ Then it’s settled,” said Bill. “ Only I 
don’t believe there’ll be much doing for me 
in winter with the car you got.” 

“ Oh, I’ve another car! Perhaps you no- 
ticed it in the garage — a blue limousine ? ” 

u Did I notice it? Say, I was all over 
that car this morning; it’s foreign, and looks 
like a crackerjack.” 

“ It is,” Mr. Prince admitted, with some 
pride. “And I’ll pay you a hundred a 
month and board you, or a hundred and fifty 
a month, and you can board yourself.” 

“ I guess I’ll take the hundred and fifty, if 
it’s all the same to you.” 

“ Then,” said Mr. Prince, “ if you’re 
ready, we’ll be off to a tailor’s, and order you 
some clothes. You can go home to-morrow, 
if you like, and get your things; and, as I ex- 
pect to be at the Lake View Hotel in a day 
or two, you might as well take the car, and 
have it there for me when I arrive. Is that 
satisfactory? ” 

“ Mr. Prince,” said Bill, with a hint of 
emotion in his voice, “ I would almost die for 
you, and that’s the truth.” 

Mr. Prince wondered what his man would 

79 


jjOie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

think of Bill. He would never know, of 
course; he never knew what Hicks thought 
about anything. Not that he cared to know. 
Indeed, it would have annoyed him to look 
on any one so impersonal and British as other 
than a convenient piece of furniture. But 
Bill was different; Bill was a real human be- 
ing. 

u I’m more of a human being myself than 
I was day before yesterday,” Mr. Prince de- 
cided. “ Why, day before yesterday all I 
thought of was motor cars, and polo, and 
golf, and sailing ! And now — and now — 
Why, now, all I think of is seeing her 
again. If I only knew when I would see her 
again ! ” 

That evening Mr. Prince dined at his fa- 
vorite club, where his presence created some 
surprise among such friends as had been told 
of his intention to play in the Kenwood golf 
tournament. That he refused to make a 
fourth at bridge after dinner was also com- 
mented upon. It would have occasioned 
even more surprise, however, if his friends, 
who believed he had left the club, could have 
seen him in the library, a dictionary at his 
80 



feeWfHKiwainJ; 


elbow, a pen in his hand. For, behold, Mr. 
Prince was writing a letter. 

It must have been a difficult letter to write, 
for it took at least three hours to complete it. 
Still, it must not be inferred that it was alto- 
gether an unpleasant task, for he smiled not 
infrequently. And the first time he referred 
to the dictionary, he almost laughed aloud. 

There are, doubtless, many amusing things 
in a dictionary, if one knows where to look 
for them. Mr. Prince had evidently found 
one of these. 

“ By George,” he murmured, “ there are 
two p’s in sapphire, after all!” 





CHAPTER VIII 


M ISS DOROTHY RANDOLPH 
was thinking of — oh, a hundred 
things. Not all at once, to be 
sure; but it was evident that certain thoughts 
ruled in pleasant majority, for even when she 
frowned smiles lingered in the corners of her 
mouth. Here she was, home again, and in 
the midst of packing for the fortnight to be 
spent with the Archer Grants at Narragansett 
Pier; truly a delightful occupation. Then, 
too, the week at that dreary little Lake View 
Hotel was, at last, ended. What a week! 
And what a nuisance that Aunt Harriet in- 
sisted on spending a week there every sum- 
mer! Fifteen years ago, it might have been 
as charming as Aunt Harriet pictured it, but 
now nobody went there save Aunt Harriet — 
and Aunt Harriet’s niece. 

82 


SAPPHIRE BRACELET J 

“ I suppose it’s a habit,’* Aunt Harriet’s 
niece decided, “ and she has to go to that 
wretched little hotel every June, just as Mary 
Patterson has to go North every August to 
escape hay fever. Just the same, she’s a dar- 
ling! ” 

Miss Randolph smiled tenderly, frowned 
a little, then smiled again, this time half- 
dreamily, half-reluctantly ; she was now 
thinking of the young man she had found 
asleep in her hammock one afternoon — 
years ago, it seemed. Could it be possible it 
was only day before yesterday? He had 
been such an agreeably stupid young man, 
and so amusing in his deceit. He had evi- 
dently been rather pleased with himself, too. 
Well, he probably wasn’t so pleased now. 

“ I wonder,” said Miss Randolph to her- 
self, “ I wonder how long he waited for me 
at the boathouse. And I wonder — But, 
of course, I’ll never see him again.” 

Dismissing the agreeable stupid Mr. 
Prince from her mind, she turned to the 
maid, who had been, all this while, busily en- 
gaged in packing a large trunk which stood 
in the center of the room, a bedroom. 


§5ie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

“ I think that will do for this morning, 
Walker.” 

“ Very well, Miss Dorothy,” said the 
maid, rising from her knees. 

“ And, Walker.” 

“ Yes, Miss Dorothy.” 

“ Please tell Saunders I’ll have my lunch 
up here.” 

Aunt Harriet had left the night before 
to visit a cousin who possessed a cottage on 
the shore of Lake George; Uncle Robert, 
her husband, was, at this moment, playing 
a morning rubber of bridge on the deck of a 
friend’s yacht, somewhere off the coast of 
Maine; so, save for the servants, Miss Ran- 
dolph was quite alone in her uncle’s house, 
which, though pleasantly situated on East 
Sixty-fourth Street, a few steps from Fifth 
Avenue, was not now particularly attractive 
within doors; upstairs, familiar rugs were 
missing, and downstairs, furniture, huddled 
in forlorn groups, wore the white swaddling 
clothes of summer. Still, it was much better 
to keep the house open through the summer 
than to go to a hotel when one came to town. 
Besides, Uncle Robert didn’t own a country 
84 




e SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


house — he didn’t want to be bothered with 

one — and the servants had to have some 
place to stay. 

“ We’ll finish the packing about four, and 
then I’ll go down to Cousin Julia’s for tea,” 
Miss Randolph decided. “ And maybe 
she’ll ask me to dinner.” 

A messenger boy, small in stature but large 
in importance, stepped from a Fifth Avenue 
’bus, tilted his cap a bit more rakishly over 
his left eye; then, glancing at the address 
written on the small package he carried, pro- 
ceeded toward his destination at a pace not 
likely to disturb the traditions of his profes- 
sion. Reaching the house he sought, he 
swaggered up the steps and rang the bell. 

“ Say, pet, was you asleep ? ” he asked as, 
after some delay, the door was opened by a 
man, evidently a butler. 

“ When you got packages for this house, 
you deliver ’em at the kitchen door,” said 
the man. 

“ When I got a bunch of spinach, I will. 
But dis is a package fer a loidy, see? ” 

“ Well, you give it here, and be off with 
you.” 




TSe SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


“ Quit yer sneezin’, pet. You don’t get 
no package till you signs for it.” 

The package having been exchanged for 
the butler’s signature, the boy bestowed a 
parting word of advice, descended the steps, 
and sauntered, whistling, toward the Avenue. 

Miss Randolph, seated near an open win- 
dow overlooking the little garden at the rear 
of the house, was eating an iced grape-fruit 
when Walker appeared with a package. 

“ Something for me, Walker? ” 

“ Yes, Miss Dorothy.” 

“ Give it to me, please.” 

The moment Walker withdrew, Miss Ran- 
dolph inspected the package carefully, weigh- 
ing it in her hand. 

“ I wonder what it contains,” she thought. 
“ It’s small, and light, and certainly I am not 
familiar with the handwriting of the ad- 
dress.” 

The salad on the tray before her looked 
most tempting; Jean’s hot biscuits were al- 
ways good. But she really must open the 
package. 

Having freed it of its wrapping of white 

86 




$e SAPPHIRE BRACELET^, 

paper, she now held a gray box in her hand; 
and the box contained an envelope bearing 
her name, and a great quantity of tissue pa- 
per. Perhaps there was something beside 
tissue paper under the envelope? There 
was; something hard, and round, and — 
Goodness gracious! Was she dreaming? 
Miss Randolph, now the most surprised 
young woman in New York, gazed with un- 
believing eyes at — 

Why, this was dreadful ! It was unheard 
of! It was outrageous ! It was even worse, 
for it could have happened in but one way. 
How cowardly of him to have placed her in 
such a position ! She was now — yes, of 
course, she was — a receiver of stolen prop- 
erty, for how else could he have acquired the 
bracelet? What a little idiot she had been 
to tell a strange young man she had been 
robbed of a bracelet, when she hadn’t ! 
What a simpleton she had been to describe a 
real bracelet, worn by a woman — such a 
woman — at the hotel ! What an exasper- 
ating young man to steal the bracelet and 
send it to her! And now, what would she 
do ? And what would the woman do ? 







SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

And what did the young man have to say 
for himself? Laying the sapphire bracelet 
on the tray before her, she tore open the en- 
velope, and read: 

Miss Dorothy Randolph , 

Care of Robert Alexander , Esq,, 

E. 64th Street , City. 

Dear Miss Randolph: When you intrusted 
me with the pleasing, if difficult, task of recover- 
ing your sapphire bracelet, I did not expect to be 
able to return it to you so soon. Indeed, when 
you failed to keep your appointment with me at the 
boathouse, I was even — professionally, of course — 
a little discouraged, for I could not read in your ab- 
sence anything favorable to the case. 

As it happened, however, your leaving by the 
five o’clock train that afternoon was little short of an 
inspiration, for, noting your absence, the culprit was 
reckless enough to wear your bracelet that evening 
at dinner. 

Though, naturally, I encountered many difficul- 
ties, I will not go into details as to how I finally 
secured the bracelet. One often has to do unpleas- 
ant things in my profession, and confronting guilty 
members of the weaker, if more stubborn, sex is al- 
ways distasteful to a man possessing high ideals and 
an unswerving loyalty and devotion, which I need 
hardly add I possess in full measure. 

I will not say I did not threaten the culprit; 
advantages must ever be pressed before results can 
be obtained. But I am glad to be able to tell you 
that the culprit will not, in this instance, at least, 
88 


SeSAPPHlRE BRACELET 

serve a term in prison. Therefore, you need not, as 
it so often happens, feel that the joy of recovering 
your bracelet is dimmed by the thought of a 
wretched woman crouching disconsolately behind 
prison bars. 

In closing, will you permit me to tell you, as a 
detective of wide experience and some little fame, 
that I have not only enjoyed solving the mystery 
with which you so kindly provided me, but feel a 
real esteem and admiration for yourself? 

Respectfully yours, 

Morton Prince, Detective. 

P. S. — Bill for services rendered will be sent to 
you at end of quarter. 

From having been the most surprised 
young woman in New York, Miss Randolph 
now became the most indignant. Such inso- 
lence ! Such effrontery ! Such — such — 
Was ever a girl placed in a more mortifying 
position? True, she was, in a manner, re- 
sponsible for being in such a position. But 
did that make it less mortifying? On the 
contrary, it made it more mortifying, if any- 
thing. 

How was she to know that a young man 
could be so stupid as to recover a bracelet 
that wasn’t stolen — and send it to her. 
How had he learned where to send it, by the 
way? And how dared he carry on this mas- 



SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

- - -- - -- 


querade of being a detective when he must 
have known he hadn’t deceived her? It was 
insulting for him to suppose he had deceived 
her, even for a minute. Perhaps this was 
his method of being revenged? If so, it 
showed an evil, vindictive spirit ; it was 
neither fair nor credible that an innocent ad- 
venture should end so seriously. 

She had thought of Mr. Morton Prince as 
being an agreeably stupid young man; he 
was, it seemed, disagreeably clever. Or was 
he merely disagreeable? And how on earth 
had he managed to coerce the lady with the 
peculiar hair into giving up her bracelet? 
Could it be she had actually stolen it from 
some one else? But that was most unlikely. 
Yet there it was on the table before her, its 
sapphires gleaming wickedly. 

And now, what was she to do? The 
bracelet must be returned to its owner at 
once. But how? She would send it back 
to that unspeakable Mr. Prince, only he had 
been most careful not to add his address to 
the outrageous letter he had written her. 
Of course, if he really believed it was her 
bracelet, and that it had been stolen — But 
92 _ 


gfe SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

a man guilty of saying he was a detective 
when he wasn’t, would be capable of ’most 
anything. Besides, the method he had 
adopted in sending it to her was highly sus- 
picious. Miss Randolph now re-read Mr. 
Prince’s suspicious letter, acquiring little from 
it beyond an added color to her cheeks and 
an increased look of anger in her eyes. 

“ It is a letter such as no gentleman w r ould 
write,” she decided scornfully; “that is, 
unless he were in — But that is too ab- 
surd! ” 

Yet he had had the temerity to describe 
himself as a man possessing high ideals, and 
an unswerving loyalty and devotion. And 
he had ended his letter by declaring he felt 
a real esteem and admiration for her. 

“ I honestly believe he did admire me,” 
she told herself. “ Not that that excuses 
him. Still, when a man admires a girl, he 
is apt to be — How I hate him ! I hope 
I’ll never see him again as long as I live! 
And it’s very likely I never shall,” she added, 
with something not unlike a sigh. 

Having settled this interesting question of 
a future meeting with Mr. Prince, she dis- 
91 




feie SAPPHIRE BRACELET" 


missed him peremptorily from her mind. 
So, if he refused to remain dismissed, it was 
certainly not her fault. Besides, a girl is 
always at liberty to think of a man she hates. 
And, of course, there could be no doubt that 
Miss Randolph hated Mr. Prince. Had she 
not said so herself? 

And now to decide a more vexing ques- 
tion : how to return the bracelet. She 
couldn’t send it direct to its owner, for the 
reason that she didn’t know her name. In a 
little hotel, one is apt to learn the names of 
all the guests — in time. But the lady with 
the queer-colored hair had only arrived the 
day before she and Aunt Harriet had left 
for New York. She might send it to the 
clerk of the hotel, with a note of explanation. 
But that would be embarrassing, unless it 
were sent anonymously, and certainly she was 
not one to write an anonymous letter. 

It was evident, then — alas, too evident! 
— that she must return the bracelet in per- 
son. And, since it is always best to per- 
form unpleasant duties at once, she would 
leave — yes, she would leave for the Lake 
View Hotel that very afternoon. The two- 
)2 



o’clock train would get her there shortly after 
seven; she would take Walker with her — 
no, she wouldn’t, either. It would be mak- 
ing a tiresome trip, on a tiresome errand. 
But there was one thing in her favor: that 
impossible Mr. Prince was undoubtedly in 
New York, and by going to the Lake View 
Hotel at once, all chance of encounter with 
him would be eliminated. Yes, she would go 
that afternoon. 

Having reached this important decision, 
the anger and resentment she had felt to- 
ward Mr. Prince gave place to a grudging 
admiration; she couldn’t help admiring him 
just a little bit. Not every man, having 
taken the role of detective at a moment’s 
notice, could have played it so spiritedly, she 
was sure. True, his deceit had been as 
highly colored as a magic-lantern slide, and 
quite as transparent; but, in succeeding in 
what he had agreed to do, he had, in a man- 
ner, accomplished a miracle, and one didn’t 
meet young men every day who could work 
miracles. 

The worst of it was, he would probably 
never know what he really had done. Im- 




SAPPHIRE BRACELET/ 


agine his surprise on being informed that he 
had recovered a sapphire bracelet that had 
never been stolen for a girl who had never 
owned one. Truly, he was a most original 
detective. Of course, his success — if one 
could call it that — had been due to a series 
of inspired blunders. Still, they were amus- 
ing blunders. And the bracelet was really 
beautiful, the kind of bracelet she liked 
best; and she had always loved sapphires. 
There could be no harm in seeing how it 
would look on her wrist. 

It looked uncommonly well there, and was 
so light, and pretty, and pleasant to wear! 
If it were hers, she would wear it often. 

But it wasn’t hers. Moreover, in its tem- 
porary possession lay the necessity of making 
a tiresome trip that afternoon to a tiresome 
hotel; and there would be a tiresome expla- 
nation to make to a tiresome woman with 
extraordinary hair. What on earth could 
she tell the woman, anyway? But she 
wouldn’t worry about that, now ; there would 
be five hours on the train in which to think 
of something plausible to say. Slipping the 
bracelet over her hand, she laid it in its box, 
Q4 







jpre SAPPHIRE BRACELET/ 



then sighed dispiritedly; Mr. Prince’s idiocy 
was troubling her again. 

It would be such a comfort to point out to 
him what a really appalling thing he had 
done, and that comfort was forever denied 
her; for, in the first place, she could never do 
this without incriminating herself, and, in the 
second place, she would probably never see 
him again. Naturally, she never wanted to 
see him again. Yet it seemed too bad that 
he should go down to the grave in ignorance 
of what he had done. Also, there would be 
a certain pleasure in proving to him that he 
was very stupid, and putting him in his place 
generally. If ever a young man needed dis- 
ciplining, Mr. Prince was that young man; 
without this discipline, he would go on grow- 
ing more self-satisfied every day. The 
thought was infuriating. 

Miss Randolph resolved if she ever did 
meet Mr. Prince again, she would deal with 
him according to his deserts. She almost 
hoped he was — well, just the least bit at- 
tracted toward her, for that would make his 
subjugation so much the easier. Not that she 
viewed him as a possible — Oh, dear, no ! 
95 






Sfe SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

But she felt she would sleep better, and the 
world would be a happier place, if she could 
pay him out in some way. As matters stood, 
he was distinctly ahead in the foolish, ex- 
travagant game they had played, and for him 
to occupy this leading position indefinitely 
was something no girl with an ounce of spirit 
could willingly permit. At whatever pains, 
she must secure his fitting humiliation. 

“ I can’t for the life of me see how it can 
be done, but I simply must get even with 
him,” she decided. 

Having reached this very human decision, 
she placed the gray box containing the sap- 
phire bracelet in a small hand bag, rang for 
Walker, then, telephoning, ordered a taxi- 
cab to be at the house at a quarter past one. 
Of course, she would only stop at the Lake 
View Hotel one night, and, of course, she 
would see no one there whom she knew. 
Still, there was no harm in taking an extra 
gown. Some one had intimated once that 
blue might be becoming to her, and she had 
a heavenly blue organdie. 

It was idle to suppose he would be there to 
see it. But it was always best to go pre- 
96 





vCFie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


pared for emergencies. Besides, one never 

could tell what amateur detectives might be 
doing, or where they might not be. Oh, 
never ! 



91 



CHAPTER IX 

A S a train was leaving the station at 
Jersey City, a young man, very much 
out of breath, swung himself aboard, 
and entered the buffet car. 

“ A deuced narrow shave, that,” he con- 
fided to the negro who took his bag. “ Bring 
me a pint of Apollinaris, please. And, 
boy!” 

“ Yeh-sah.” 

“ Get me a seat in the parlor car, will you? 
Here’s my ticket, and here’s five dollars.” 

“ Yeh-sah. In a minute, sah.” 

Left to himself, the young man looked 
about him. Satisfied there was no one whom 
he knew in the car, he now lighted a cigarette. 

“ I’m blessed if I know why I’m here,” he 
thought half-impatiently. “ There’s little 
to be gained by going to-day; to-morrow 
98 


would have done quite as well, and would 
have saved me all this hurry. On the whole, 
though, perhaps it was wiser to go to-day; 
she’ll send the bracelet to that woman as 
quick as ever she can, and there’s no harm in 
being on hand when it arrives. I don’t want 
the bracelet, but I’m dashed if I’m going to 
let that woman have it. She’ll probably try 
and hang on to it, but I’ll get it from her, 
one way or another, just as sure as my name’s 
Morton Prince ! ” 

For those who love color, the New Jersey 
landscape, as seen from a car window, is most 
satisfying, for, planted at convenient dis- 
tances on either side of the track, immense 
signs proclaim in vivid greens, and reds, and 
blues, and with easy alliteration, the supe- 
riority of such excellent commercial products 
as Kornblum’s Korrect Klothes, Breedin’s 
Buttercup Brandy, Solomon’s Sanitary Shoes 
in Salutary Shapes. Moreover, a poet 
possessed of the talent for reading these signs 
aright would speak of them as feathers from 
the Great American Eagle, and would tell 
you, in all sincerity, that their vivid coloring 
99 



j^SAPPHIREBRACtiEI 

was but the echo of that extraordinary bird’s 
scream. 

From his seat in the parlor car, Mr. 
Prince gazed through a window. Being 
no poet, however, the huge painted signs he 
saw did little more for him than make him a 
trifle dizzy. 

“ Confounded nuisance, this going places 
in trains ! ” he reflected. “ I wish — By 
George ! ” 

Though Mr. Prince leaned forward 
eagerly, he was not done with reflections, for 
there happened to be a small mirror set, 
panel-wise, beside the window. And in that 
mirror he had caught — But, no, it 
couldn’t be. 

If she would only turn her head again I 
No, Yes. No. There! By George, it 
was! There could be no manner of doubt: 
it was the girl. 

_ She was reading a magazine, and her back 
was toward the door by which he had en- 
tered; the chair in which she sat was farther 





him enter, and was quite unaware of his 
presence. 

“ I wonder,” thought Mr. Prince, “ if 
she’d be angry of I were to speak to her. 
Why shouldn’t I speak to her? Am I not 
a detective, and haven’t I just rendered her 
great service ? ” 

While this sounded plausible, it was, alas, 
as Mr. Prince realized only too well, strictly 
untrue; he was not a detective, and instead 
of rendering Miss Randolph a service, he had 
probably caused her great annoyance. And 
she might imagine he was following her. 
Yet it would be worse than stupid; it would 
be criminal not to press the advantage fate 
so kindly offered. Besides, he had rather 
the best of her in that it was almost certain 
she still believed him to have acted in good 
faith in returning the bracelet; she simply 
couldn’t have guessed he had known it 
wasn’t hers. This being the case, she 
wouldn’t dare appear other than grateful. 

“ If I do speak to her, she will probably 
begin by thanking the detective, and end by 
snubbing me,” Mr. Prince prophesied 
gloomily. “ And I’m hanged if I wouldn’t 

IOI 



SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 



deserve it! Just the same, I’m going to 
speak to her; I’ve simply got to, that’s all 
there is to it.” 

It is, perhaps, to his credit that it took 
Mr. Prince at least ten minutes to find the 
courage necessary to the fulfilment of his 
resolve; he counted the people in the car — 
six, including himself. Very good. He ad- 
justed his tie, smoothed his hair with his fin- 
gers, glanced at his watch ; he glanced at his 
watch, smoothed his hair, adjusted his tie. 
By George, he would speak to her! Draw- 
ing a handkerchief from his pocket, he now 
flicked some imaginary dust from his shoes; 
he fingered his tie again. His confounded 
hair must need trimming; his confounded 
watch was ticking all-precious moments, 
and — By Jove, she had turned! She was 
looking at him! She was — yes, she was 
actually smiling at him 1 

“ Dear me,” said the mendacious Mr. 
Prince, “ what a pleasant surprise ! And to 
think we should have discovered each other 
at the same moment ! Why, it’s — it’s ex- 
traordinary! May I sit down? ” 

102 




‘Ifie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


44 Please do.” 

44 I can’t be glad enough I happened to 
take this train.” 

44 Did you say happened? ” 

44 I believe I did; I — I — ” 

44 I thought perhaps you might be trailing 
a criminal,” said Miss Randolph. 44 In- 
deed, I had already made up my mind it 
was the man with the gray hair in chair num- 
ber seven. Don’t tell me I’m wrong.” 

44 I won’t,” Mr. Prince replied cheerfully. 

44 We women rather pride ourselves on our 
intuition, you know.” 

44 I don’t blame you,” said Mr. Prince. 

44 Then you are following the man with 
the gray hair? ” 

44 Why bother about business ? ” 

44 Oh, if you do not wish to tell me ! ” 

44 I’d tell you anything,” said Mr. Prince. 

44 Anything except what I wish to know, 
perhaps.” 

44 Are you fond of motoring, Miss Ran- 
dolph?” 

44 Are you trying to change the subject, 
Mr. Prince?” 

44 Er — no. And I jolly well couldn’t if 
103 



} j^eSAPPHIRE BRACELET^ 

I wanted to,” Mr. Prince answered some- 
what sulkily. 

“ Then it is the man with the gray hair 
whom you are following? ” 

“ You’ve guessed it,” said Mr. Prince. 
“ And guessed wrong,” he added under his 
breath. 

“ Pm glad you have confided in me, for I 
think I can help you. But first I want to 
thank you for returning the sapphire brace- 
let.” 

“ Oh, that was nothing,” Mr. Prince re- 
plied uneasily. 

“ And to pay you for your trouble.” 

Mr. Prince sat fascinated while Miss 
Randolph opened her hand bag, drew there- 
from a gold purse, and proceeded to count 
out four one dollar bills. 

“ There ! ” she said, holding the bills 
toward him. “ Please count them and see if 
they’re right.” 

“ But you weren’t to pay me till the end 
of the quarter; I can’t accept them now — I 
can’t honestly ! ” 

“ I must insist on your taking them now.” 

“ Please don’t insist.” 

104 


TO 



SAPPHIRE BRACELET 



. 























1 E 



























































































“Ah, I see; you are not content with so 
small a sum.” 

“ It’s the sum agreed upon, and I’m more 
than content with it. But I — I — ” 

“ Then take it” 

Realizing there was no way out of it, Mr. 
Prince accepted the four green bills, and, 
folding them carefully, placed them in the 
only pocket of his waistcoat that seemed to 
be anywhere near his heart. 

“ I never knew detectives were so reluc- 
tant to take money,” said Miss Randolph. 

“ It’s the inconvenience of the thing,” Mr. 
Prince explained. “ It upsets the — er — 
my bookkeeper to have money come in be- 
fore it’s due.” 

“ I’m afraid I haven’t fully expressed my 
thanks for the return of the bracelet.” 

“Were you really glad to get it?” asked 
Mr. Prince, intent on paying his late client 
out for having made him accept the four 
dollars. 

“ Doesn’t that go without saying? ” 

“ I’ll wager you were surprised, though.” 

“ I was surprised,” Miss Randolph ad- 
mitted. u I’m sure vou’ll forgive me for 




SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 


saying it now that you have proved how capa- 
ble you are ; but, do you know, you impressed 
me at first as being a man utterly unqualified 
for your profession.” 

“How’s that?” Mr. Prince demanded. 

“ You seemed to lack tact.” 

“ I fancy I have as much as most.” 

“ As most detectives, perhaps. But, after 
all, why should you need more ? ” 

“I — er — I feel I need a lot more,” Mr. 
Prince replied humbly. “ What would you 
say, Miss Randolph — er — what would you 
say if I were to tell you I am not a detect- 
ive? ” 

“ I should agree with you.” 

“What?” 

“ That you needed more tact,” Miss Ran- 
dolph concluded evenly. 

“ There’s only one thing I really need,” 
Mr. Prince declared. “ Can you guess 
what it is? ” 

“ No, I can’t,” said Miss Randolph, “ un- 
less it’s assurance.” 

“ Oh, I say, that’s unkind! ” 

“ But isn’t it true that you sometimes feel 
uncomfortable and not quite sure of yourself 


106 







when addressing people who are — well, 
bit above you in station? ” 

“ Er — perhaps I do. I hadn’t noticed 
it.” 

“ I’ve noticed it from the very start,” said 
Miss Randolph. ” Speaking of stations, has 
it occurred to you your quarry may try to 
give you the slip? ” 

“ My quarry? ” 

“ Yes, the man with the gray hair whom 
you are following. Do tell what he has 
done.” 

“ Why, he — he’s robbed a bank.” 

“ Dear me ! And he looks so gentle.” 

“ It’s the gentle criminals that are the most 
dangerous,” said Mr. Prince, nodding his 
head wisely. ” If I were to tell you — ” 

” I don’t believe you’ll have time,” said 
the girl. “ I heard him tell the porter he 
was getting off at the next station, and we’re 
almost there.” 

Mr. Prince regarded the gray-haired 
criminal anxiously. He was undoubtedly 



fee SAPPHIRE BRACEEEI 

the platform when he gets off,” warned the 
girl. “ Otherwise, you might lose him.” 

“ I’ve a good notion to let him escape,” 
said Mr. Prince. 

“ You mustn’t think of it.” 

“ He has a wife, and ten children.” 

“ All the more reason he shouldn’t es- 
cape. Think of the hundreds of wives and 
children and orphans he’s robbed.” 

“I don’t care; I’m going to let him es- 
cape.” 

“ That,” said the girl gravely, “ would be 
very dishonorable, since you know him to be 
a dangerous criminal. And, of course, you 
wouldn’t do anything dishonorable.” 

“ No,” said Mr. Prince, “ of course not. 
That is — Oh, bother! ” 

“ The train is stopping,” said the girl. 
“ You must make up your mind at once. 
I shall never speak to you again if you don’t 
go,” she added demurely. 

“ I hope you didn’t think I seriously in- 
tended not going? ” Mr. Prince replied, with 
some dignity. 

“ Oh, no ! I was sure you would go from 
the very first.” 

108 




l3Se SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


“ By George, I believe you! Good-after* 
noon, Miss Randolph.” 

“ Good-afternoon, Mr. Prince, and good 
luck with your criminal. Before you go, 
would you mind opening my window? ” 
From the open window, it was possible to 
see Mr. Prince descend from the car. Miss 
Randolph watched him till he disappeared 
round the comer of a building; then, shutting 
the window, sank back in her chair, and 
opened a magazine wherein she read what 
must have been, judging from her frequent 
smiles, a most amusing story. 







CHAPTER X 

W HEN Mr. Prince stepped off the 
train behind the gray-haired man 
whom he had so slanderously de- 
scribed as a criminal, he was frankly out of 
humor with himself. Yet he could not help 
admiring the method by which Miss Ran- 
dolph had got rid of him; she had been so 
adroit, and he had stepped into the trap she 
had laid so unsuspectingly! 

“ Serves me jolly well right for being so 
dashed stupid ! ” he told himself. “ But 
how the deuce was I to know where she was 
leading me ? ” 

And he had rather fancied himself at the 
time, had been even pleased by the picture 
he had drawn of the gray-haired criminal. 
Come to think of it, it was the girl who had 
drawn the picture; all he had done was to 
i io 




sign his name to it. And in appending his 
signature, he had signed a warrant for his 
dismissal from — from heaven. It was 
plain, then, that there was but one thing to 
do; to return to heaven as quickly as possible; 
which meant, of course, that he must catch 
the next train for the Lake View Hotel. Or 
perhaps — By Jove, why hadn’t he thought 
of it before! 

When Mr. Prince had disappeared from 
Miss Randolph’s sight, it had been round a 
corner of the station building; when he again 
appeared where she could have seen him had 
she been leaning out of an open window, it 
was at the other end of the station. Even 
then she might have missed him, for there 
were convenient trucks, laden with boxes, to 
obstruct her view. Using these trucks as a 
shield, Mr. Prince made, as rapidly as 
caution would permit, toward a certain plat- 
form very near the engine, arriving there 
just as the conductor gave the signal for the 
train to start. Then, by opening several 
doors, and journeying the length of several 
aisles, he found himself once more in the 
buffet car, 

1 1 1 



!%>e SAPPHIRE BRACELET^ 

It was maddening that, with Miss Ran- 
dolph so near, he could not go to her; but it 
was a jolly lot better to be where he was, 
than to be kicking his heels in a sleepy little 
village, waiting for the next train. Of 
course, he’d either have to ride past the Lake 
View Hotel station, or get off somewhere this 
side. He’d have the porter bring him a 
time-table. 

“ Do you know anything about this 
place?” Mr. Prince asked, pointing to the 
time-table. 

“ Yeh-sah.” 

“ How large a place is it.” 

“ It’s quite a town, sah.” 

“ Does it boast a garage? ” 

“ It don’t boast none, but it’s got ’em. 
Oh, Lawd, yeh-sah ! ” 

“ How many miles this side of the Lake 
View Hotel is it? ” 

“ ’Bout eight miles, boss.” 

“ And can you tell me the name of one of 





SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


A dollar bill Having been pressed into his 
hand as a preface to the foregoing conversa- 
tion, the porter was only too happy to oblige 
Mr. Prince. 

“ Heah’s them fohms,” he announced a 
moment later. 

“ And what direction is that?” asked Mr. 
Prince, pointing toward the window by 
which he sat. 

“ That’s east, sah.” 

“ Thank you.” 

Mr. Prince now turned his attention to 
composing a telegram which, when com- 
pleted, read: 

Pioneer Garage , Clover dale, N. J. 

Please have your fastest car at station to meet 
train due six thirty-five. Important. Will pay lib- 
erally. Look for me on east side of track. 

Morton Prince. 

After handing this to the porter with in- 
structions that it be wired from the next stop- 
ping place, Mr. Prince proceeded to congrat- 
ulate himself; if all went well, he would 
arrive at the Lake View Hotel almost as 
soon as Miss Randolph. And, since her 
chair was on the west side of the train, he 


could feel reasonably safe in alighting from 
the east side. He only hoped the Pioneer 
Garage would supply him with a fast car, 
and a good driver. 

Mr. Prince now decided it might be well 
to think of dinner — not a real dinner, of 
course, for he dared not enter the dining-car. 
But his friend the porter would see that he 
got a plate of sandwiches from somewhere, 
and there were far worse dinners than a plate 
of sandwiches, and a pint of ale. Oh 
rather ! 

As the train neared Cloverdale, Mr. 
Prince grew more and more nervous. Sup- 
posing no motor car met him? Supposing 
Miss Randolph should be sitting by an east 
window in the dining-car, and should see him 
alight? But here w r as a far better suppos- 
ing : supposing, since it took the ’bus ten min- 
utes to make the trip from the station to the 
Lake View Hotel — supposing he should 
get there first, should be on the veranda when 
Miss Randolph arrived? That would be 
simply splendid! Followed by the obliging 
porter, Mr. Prince moved forward as far as 
114 



3Se SAPPHIRE BRACELET 



the baggage-car, where he took up his posi- 
tion on the lowest step leading from the east 
side of the platform. 

The train was now entering the station. 
And there was a motor car near the track 
that looked like a perfect hummer. 

“ By George, this is luck!” thought Mr. 
Prince. “ Now to make a run for it. I’m 
dashed if I don’t believe I’ll get there be- 
fore she does, after all ! ” 

Mr. Prince covered the few feet that sep- 
arated him from the big blue touring car in 
no time. Flinging his bag into the tonneau, 
he followed it rapidly, and, spying a rug on 
the floor, proceeded to muffle his face in it. 

“ No use taking any chances,” he told him- 
self. “Here! What are you doing?” 

Although this last question was addressed 
to the chauffeur in charge of the car, it was 
very evident what he was doing. 

“ I say,” exclaimed Mr. Prince, “ leave 
the rug alone, will you? ” 

“ And I say you get out of there,” re- 
torted the chauffeur, pulling at the rug. 
“ What in blazes are you doing in there, any- 
way?” 

115 




Kcz7 (u;.^Q7 



[^eSAPPHIREBRACELET 

“ I’m hiding from some one, you idiot! ” 

“ Oh, you are, are you? ” 

“ Yes, I am,” snapped Mr. Prince. 
“ And I advise you to start your engine, and 
take me where I want to go.” 

“ You wasn’t wanting to go to the police 
station, was you ? ” 

“ Certainly not.” 

“ I thought as much,” said the chauffeur. 

“ Look here,” said Mr. Prince, “ who the 
deuce are you ? ” 

“ It’s none of your business who I am.” 

“ I’ll jolly soon make it my business ! ” 
declared the now thoroughly angry Mr. 
Prince. “ I’ll report you to your employer.” 

“ Go to it,” said the chauffeur. 

“ What’s the row, Carter? ” asked a deep 
bass voice. 

“ This young smart Aleck slid off the 
train, dived into the tonneau, sir, and cov- 
ered himself with a rug. Guess he’s trying 
to escape from the police.” 

“ I’m not, either,” said Mr. Prince, re- 
garding with a speculative eye the important- 
looking man who had addressed the chauffeur 
as Carter. “ I wired the Pioneer Garage to 
1 16 


f (feie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

have a car meet me here, and I supposed this 
was it. Is it? Or isn’t it? ” 

“ The car is mine,” said the important- 
looking man. “ It could hardly be mistaken 
for a livery car,” he added pompously. 

“ It could, because it was,” said Mr. 
Prince. 

“ Are you going to get out of there, or 
ain’t you? ” demanded the chauffeur. 

“ I wouldn’t advise you to create a dis- 
turbance,” said the important-looking man. 

“ I have no intention of creating a dis- 
turbance,” Mr. Prince declared. “ And, of 
course, I’ll get out — at once.” 

“ If you was really looking for an auto- 
mobile from the Pioneer Garage,” said the 
chauffeur, “ there it is, over there.” 

Mr. Prince turned, and walked hurriedly 
in the direction toward which the chauffeur 
had pointed. Yes, there was an automo- 
bile. But what an automobile! He had 
wired for the fastest car in the shop, and 
they had sent him — Occasionally, in a 
moment of surprise, or disappointment, one 
conceives a simile so false as to seem almost 
inspired. Mr. Prince smiled bitterly. 



SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 


“ I’m dashed if they haven’t sent me a bird- 
cage,” he said. 

Having delivered himself of this observa- 
tion, Mr. Prince flew to his perch beside the 
driver. Then, with captive coil singing 
hoarsely to the uneven accompaniment of its 
single cylinder, the shabby, battered little 
bird-cage proceeded slowly on its way to the 
Lake View Hotel. 


CHAPTER XI 

I T is doubtful if the cat of song and story 
who ate the fabled and unfortunate 
canary felt — or looked — more com- 
placent than Miss Randolph, after her adroit 
dismissal of Mr. Prince. True, he had 
got the best of her when he had sent her the 
sapphire bracelet. But now she had got the 
best of him. Oh, dear, yes! He had 
wanted most awfully to stay, and she had 
made him go; he had attempted to deceive 
her, and she had tripped him with the web 
of his own deceit; falsehood had come in at 
the door, and Mr. Prince had flown out of 
the window. Exit Mr. Prince. 

Not that she held the white lies he had 
told against him : they had been far too use- 
ful to her. Still, it was just the least bit 
scandalous that such a good-looking young 



j%ie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

man should stray so constantly from the 
highroad of truth. Perhaps this would be a 
lesson to him. In any event, it was refresh- 
ing to taste of the fruits of victory. And 
it was wonderfully pleasant to remember the 
wry face with which Mr. Prince had ac- 
cepted the apples of discord she had thrust 
into his hand, if one could so refer to the four 
one-dollar bills she had given him. How 
he had hated to take them! And what an 
inspired moment it had been when she had 
realized the possibilities of the gray-haired 
passenger in chair number seven ! 

It now occurred to Miss Randolph that 
she might need another inspiration to assist 
her in returning the sapphire bracelet to its 
rightful owner. Supposing that extraordi- 
nary person should prove difficult, and de- 
mand an explanation. But why worry about 
it? Besides, since misfortunes never came 
singly, there could be no earthly reason why 
inspirations shouldn’t travel in pairs. 

“ If I can have one inspiration, I can have 
another,” she decided serenely. “ And, 
moreover, I’ll make it a point to have one.” 

Satisfied that the problem of approach- 





120 


/ 





i^Oie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


ing the lady with the henna-colored hair 
would furnish its own solution, Miss Ran- 
dolph settled herself more comfortably in 
her chair, and read a story in a magazine. 
It was one of those cheerful, pink-and-white 
stories containing a stalwart, handsome hero, 
and a heroine with a perfect nose who wore 
Paquin gowns — a story with a romantic 
first meeting, a Newport back-ground, and 
a wedding-bell finish. And the hero was — 
yes, he was — very like Mr. Prince. 

It was pleasant, of course, to realize that 
fiction was, to some extent, patterned after 
life. Yet Miss Randolph couldn’t help see- 
ing that her own story was far more inter- 
esting. Not that she ever expected to see 
Mr. Prince again. It was scarcely credible, 
but she hoped she would see him again. 
Without meaning to be, he was such an amus- 
ing young man, and even in his stupid mo- 
ments he had never been offensive; on the 
contrary, his stupidity was, perhaps, his 
most engaging quality, for beneath it lay a 
strata of fine sincerity which one couldn’t 
help liking. And then, he was so obviously 
prepossessed of her. 





Supposing she were a man who had met, 
in an unconventional way — Miss Randolph 
smiled to think how unconventional — a girl 
whom she fancied she might learn to — met 
a girl whom she wanted most awfully to meet 
again. Wouldn’t she plan, and scheme, and 
contrive? Miss Randolph admitted she 
would do all three, only she would plan 
more cleverly. Or would she? Hadn’t 
Mr. Prince done the cleverest thing pos- 
sible in sending her the bracelet? How 
in the world had he managed to acquire it? 
From whom had he learned her address? 
And where had he been going when she had 
made him alight from the train? 

Heretofore, in looking upon life, Miss 
Randolph’s eyes had reflected little more 
than a mild enjoyment; but till this after- 
noon she had never made a young man — 
an exceedingly attractive and reluctant young 
man — alight from a train at a station miles 
from the place he had intended to alight. It 
was too delicious ! Life held its golden mo- 
ments, after all. 

Experience having taught her that she was 
likely to get a far better dinner on the train 
122 



than at the Lake View Hotel, Miss Ran- 
dolph entered the dining-car a little after six. 
It was too unearthly an hour really to dine, 
so she ordered a light supper, regarding it 
when it arrived with the indifference of one 
who eats from habit rather than from 
hunger. Half a grape fruit, and some 
slices of cold chicken. She had had chicken 
and grape fruit for lunch. How long ago 
it seemed! She remembered a fragment of 
poetry : 

We live in deeds, not years, 

In thoughts, not breaths, 

In feelings, not in figures on a dial; 

We should count time by heart throbs. 

Yes, that was it; the afternoon, counted 
in heart throbs, was — But what non- 
sense ! 

On arriving at the hotel, Miss Randolph 
ascended at once to the room assigned her by 
the clerk. 

“ I didn’t expect to see you back so soon,” 
said the chambermaid. “ Is Mrs. Alexan- 
der well?” 

“ Quite well, Katie.” 

123 



jffie SAPPHIRE BRACELET J 

“ Is there anything you want?” 

“ I think not, thank you.” 

“ It’s a pleasure to do things for you, Miss 
Randolph.” 

“ It is very nice of you to say that, and I 
shall tell you if — ” 

Miss Randolph paused, then smiled joy- 
ously. Why shouldn’t Katie return the sap- 
phire bracelet? To return it herself would 
not only involve a certain amount of embar- 
rassing explanation, but the explanation, no 
matter how artfully conceived, could hardly 
fail to arouse suspicion. Then, too, for her 
to return a bracelet that Mr. Prince had 
acquired in a questionable manner would 
connect her most unpleasantly with the af- 
fair, while if she gave the bracelet to Katie, 
with instructions to return it with no expla- 
nations whatsoever, its rightful owner would 
naturally believe it had come direct from 
Mr. Prince. Yes, there could be no doubt 
of it, the inspiration for which she hoped had 
arrived at last. 

Miss Randolph now opened her hand bag, 
and drew therefrom the gray box containing 
the bracelet. 

124 



YO>e SAPPHIRE BRACELET 



“ You can do me a great favor, if you 
will,” she said. 

“ I’m real glad, honest I am, Miss Ran- 
dolph.” 

“ There’s a lady stopping here, a lady 
with rather peculiar-looking reddish hair.” 

“ That must be Mrs. Hardcastle. She 
ain’t a lady, though; she’s a — ” 

“ To-day/ about lunch-time,” Miss Ran- 
dolph interrupted hurriedly, “ I discovered 
I had something that belonged to her.” 

“ Something you took away from here by 
mistake? ” 

“ My having it is the result of a mistake, 
Katie, so, of course, it must be returned to 
her. Still, I can’t see why I should meet 
her, and enter into a long and tiresome ex- 
planation, especially since she doesn’t know 
I have it.” 

“ No need at all, Miss Randolph. She’ll 
talk your arm off if you give her a chance.” 

“ And, since when you give it to her she 
will have her property, I can think of no 
reason why my name should be mentioned at 
all.” 

“ You can better believe I won’t mention 






SAPPHIRE BRACELET? 


it. I’ll just hand her what you give me, 
and say, ‘ Here’s something that belongs to 
you,’ then fade away. And if she gets curi- 
ous, and tries to pump me afterward, I’ll 
tell her a story that’ll make her hair curl. 
It gives me a pain the way she puts on airs. 
A girl in a hotel learns pretty quick to tell 
the difference between imitations and the real 
thing, Miss Randolph, and Mrs. Hardcastle 
ain’t the real thing by a good deal. Why, 
the way she talks to us maids is something 
fierce ! Just you give me what you got of 
hers, and I’ll see that she gets it, all right.” 

A few moments later, the gray box con- 
taining the sapphire bracelet concealed in her 
blouse, Katie sailed blithely down the back 
stairs and disappeared in the servants’ din- 
ing room. She would have her dinner first; 
plenty of time to give the box to that offen- 
sive Mrs. Hardcastle, afterward. Besides, 
she had been told there was no great hurry. 

Feeling that a great weight had been lifted 
from her mind, or heart, or conscience, she 
didn’t know which, Miss Randolph sighed 
contentedly, and walked to an open window. 
It was far too warm and beautiful to stay 
126 







r 


7 


CHAPTER XII 

A CCORDING to the porter in the 
buffet car, the Lake View Hotel lay 
eight miles beyond the station at 
which Mr. Prince had elected to alight. 
This distance may have been correct, as the 
crow flies, but it must be remembered that 
the only resemblance Mr. Prince held to a 
crow in this instance was that he traveled in 
a bird-cage. Then, too, the man who drove 
the bird-cage insisted it was fourteen miles 
to the Lake View Hotel, and drivers of bird- 
cages are very apt to know what they are 
talking about. 

The journey proved painful to Mr. Prince, 
who, grown used to flying through the coun- 
try in his own fast car, had come to look 
on a speed of fifteen miles an hour on a level 
road as being practically the same thing as 
128 



;ffie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

standing still; nor could he see any merit in 
a bird-cage that took every hill on the first 
speed, and overheated in the process if the 
hill were long. So the wings of love beat 
against cruel bars, and the air was filled with 
feathers and with muttered words of dis- 
content. And when, at last, the lights of 
the hotel were sighted, Mr. Prince felt he 
had aged greatly. 

“ By Jove,” he said to himself, “ that chap 
Rip Van Winkle was uncommonly lucky; he 
slept his twenty years, while I’ve spent mine 
traveling fourteen miles ! ” Which would 
lead one to believe that Mr. Prince, like Miss 
Randolph, had begun to count time by heart 
throbs. 


As the little car chugged up to the hotel, 
a tall young man rose from his chair on the 
veranda and strolled over to inspect the new 
arrival, for he was interested in everything 
in the automobile world from a bird-cage 
to a Fiat. 

“ Looks like a single-cylinder Starbuck,” 
he mused. “ And Lordy, it’s missing like 
it was kidnaped! Weak battery, I guess; 




SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 


or maybe it’s a — Well, I’ll be jiggered! 
If it ain’t Mr. Prince! And in a Starbuck, 
of all things ! ” 

“ Glad to see you, Bill,” said Mr. Prince. 
“ Take my bag, please, while I pay off this 
driver.” 

“ I kind of looked for you on that seven 
o’clock train,” said Bill a moment later. 
“ Some class to them Starbucks — I don’t 
think. Will you be wanting me this even- 
ing? ” 

“ Not so far as I know. Is my car here, 
or at the garage? ” 

“ It’s out under the shed by the stable. I 
engaged a room for you, and your other 
gripsack is in it. Guess I’ll hang around 
in case you do want me, if it’s all the same 
to you.” 

“ Just as you like, Bill.” 

After carrying Mr. Prince’s bag into the 
hotel, Bill went back to his chair in a dark 
corner of the veranda, and, lighting his pipe, 
puffed away contentedly; his new employer 
was certainly a grand man to work for, the 
Fiat was a grand car, and one hundred and 
fifty dollars a month was a grand sum of 

T i£L 







SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


money. Aside from all this, Mr. Prince was 
a good comrade, as well. 

“ He ain’t a bit stuck up, like some of 
them rich guys,” Bill told himself approv- 
ingly. “ Not on your tintype! He’s the 
real goods, all right, all right ! ” 

In the hotel, the “ real goods ” was 
greeted by the clerk like a long lost brother. 
It was curious, but men in a humbler station 
of life were usually delighted to see Mr. 
Prince ; even his friends noticed this. 
“ Morton always makes a hit with hoi 
polloi,” Jack Leighton had said one night at 
the club. 

Mr. Prince, quite unaware that the clerk’s 
greeting was more cordial than was gener- 
ally extended to guests arriving at this par- 
ticular hotel, responded to it with great sin- 
cerity. 

“ Dashed glad to see you again,” he said. 
“ My chauffeur told me he’d engaged a room 
for me. Did he register?” 

“ Yes, he registered,” said the clerk. 
“ He arrived yesterday afternoon with the 
car. I gave him a room in the attic.” 

Mr. Prince now studied the book in which 

131 



guests wrote their names. He was ex- 
tremely pleased to see Miss Randolph’s sig- 
nature; he was almost as pleased to place 
his own directly under it There was some- 
thing intimate and satisfying in their names 
appearing so close together. Some day, if 
the fates were kind, her signature would be 
done away with to the delicious extent that 
hotel registers would bear this record: Mr. 
and Mrs. Morton Prince. Or would it be 
more proper to write, Morton Prince and 
wife? There were certain things a chap had 
to look into; next time he stopped at a big 
hotel he’d inspect the register, and learn 
which was right. In the meantime, he’d 
take a look about him and see if, by any 
happy chance, he could discover Miss Ran- 
dolph. Leaving his bag to be sent to his 
room, Mr. Prince lighted a cigarette, and, 
with a friendly nod tp the clerk, made for 
the veranda. 

The veranda of the Lake View Hotel was 
really charming; holding no lights to blind 
the eyes, it was spacious to a degree, and cer- 
tain portions of its long reach were screened 
with honeysuckle and wistaria. Avoiding a 
132 

x— — — ^dLMT) T1 “ 






e SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


group of men and girls, Mr. Prince walked 
almost the length of the veranda. No, she 
wasn’t there. Perhaps she had retired for 
the night? Some one sat in shadow over 
yonder; but, alas, it was a man. Maybe 
he’d be fortunate enough to see her in the 
morning? Since he couldn’t see her now, 
he’d sit down and think about her. As if 
he could help thinking about her! But it 
was sad that a night so fragrant with honey- 
suckle should be — 

“ Good-evening,” said a voice. 

“ Er — good-evening,” said Mr. Prince, 
rising hastily, “ good-evening.” Then, that 
being extended which he could not well ig- 
nore, he shook hands gravely with the lady 
with the henna-colored hair. This accom- 
plished, the lady drew a chair very near his 
own, and, seating herself, commanded Mr. 
Prince to do likewise. 

“ Now this is what I call cozy,” she said. 

“ It is, rather,” agreed Mr. Prince, 
vaguely alarmed, yet undecided as to 
whether he could edge his chair away with- 
out seeming rude. With a sigh, he realized 
that he was fairly trapped. 






^ie SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 


“ And I want to tell you I think you’re a 
perfect duck.” 

“A what?” 

“ A perfect duck.” 

“ There’s — there’s some mistake.” 

“ Don’t be a goose ! ” 

“Is it — is it about the bracelet?” 

“ Of course it is, you stupid boy ! Why 
didn’t you return it yourself, dear Mr. 
Prince?” 

“I — I don’t know. That is — Did 
6he give it to you herself?” 

“ How else could I be wearing it now? ” 
asked the lady, waving her left hand before 
Mr. Prince’s troubled eyes. 

“ Er — what did she tell you?” 

“ She didn’t tell me anything,” answered 
the lady. “All she said was: ‘Here’s 
something that belongs to you.’ ” 

“ Thank the Lord! ” thought Mr. Prince. 
“ I could never have forgiven myself if she 
had become involved in this dashed affair 
with this dashed woman.” 

“ And when I asked her what was in the 
box, she as plain as told me it was none of 
my business.” 

134 


“ Bully for her! ” said Mr. Prince. 

“ It wasn’t bully at all,” declared the lady, 
“ it was just plain sass. And I’m thinking 
of having her discharged.” 

“ Discharged? ” 

“ Yes, discharged. This ain’t the first 
time she’s been cheeky. And the way she 
makes my bed is something fierce — sheets 
all wrinkles, and — ” 

“Makes your bed?” exclaimed Mr. 
Prince. “ Who in the deuce are you talk- 
ing about? ” 

“ And who should I be talking about but 
the chambermaid you gave the bracelet to? ” 

Mr. Prince was silent; first from sheer 
relief, then from admiration of Miss Ran- 
dolph’s cleverness. “ By Jove,” he thought, 
“ she has kept clear of this whole affair, and 
I’m no end grateful! ” 

“ I never knew a gentleman to give a lady 
a present more graceful,” continued his com- 
panion. 

“ Er — didn’t you ? ” 

“ Do I look like a lady that would accept 
seven hundred dollars from a perfect stran- 
ger?” 


135 



) jjgeSAPPHlRE BRAOlETj 

“I — Of course not. You see, it’s all a 
mistake.” 

“ What’s a mistake ? ” demanded the lady. 
“ Didn’t you tell that sassy chambermaid to 
give me the bracelet? ” 

“ No, I didn’t,” said Mr. Prince. “ And 
I’ll be much obliged to you if you’ll re- 
turn it.” 

“ Well, I guess not!” 

“ Look here,” said Mr. Prince, “ why do 
you suppose I gave you seven hundred dol- 
lars for a three hundred dollar bracelet if it 
wasn’t that I wished to keep it? ” 

“ I suppose you was kind of gone on me, 
if you want the truth,” the lady replied braz- 
enly. 

“ I’m not,” said Mr. Prince. 

“ Anyway, I’ve got it, and, what’s more, 
I intend to keep it.” 

“ And I say you shall not,” Mr. Prince 
declared, raising his voice in his excitement. 
“ The bracelet is mine, and I mean to 
have it.” 

“ Like to see you get it.” 

“ I paid you seven hundred dollars for it, 
didn’t I?” 




-ffie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 



“ Yes. But you can’t prove it.” 

“ I can come jolly near proving it.” 

“ Bah ! ” said the lady, snapping her fin- 
gers. “ You can’t prove anything, and I ad- 
vise you not to try. Besides, what’s seven 
hundred dollars to you? ” 

“ It’s the confounded principle of the 
thing; a chap doesn’t like to be rooked of 
seven hundred dollars, or of seventy cents, 
for that matter.” 

“ And a lady doesn’t like to have a gen- 
tleman talk to her like you’re talking to me.” 

“ I’m sure I beg your pardon if I’ve been 
rude,” said Mr. Prince. “ Just the same, I 
want the bracelet.” 

“ You can’t have it.” 

“ Then I’ll take the seven hundred dol- 
lars.” 

“ You’ll take yourself off,” said the lady. 
“ If you don’t, I’ll tell the hotel clerk you 
insulted me.” 

“ And I’ll tell him you have my bracelet.” 

“ Go tell him. There’s plenty of people 
in the hotel that have seen me wearing it.” 

“ Then I’ll tell him you’ve seven hundred 
dollars of mine.” 





“ You do it, and I’ll sue you for breach of 
promise.” 

“What?” gasped Mr. Prince. 

“ I’ve a notion to do it, anyway.” 

“ Why, this is — It’s preposterous ! ” 

“ You go around telling people you gave 
me seven hundred dollars, and see if it’s 'pre- 
posterous or not. Why should you be giv- 
ing me money? ” 

“ For the bracelet.” 

“ A likely story,” said the lady, “ What 
would you be wanting with a bracelet? It’s 
more likely you gave me the money to buy 
a trousseau.” 

Quite overwhelmed by this alarming and 
unlooked-for statement, Mr. Prince rose, 
stood speechless for a moment; then, turning 
on his heel, walked swiftly away, neither see- 
ing nor caring where he went, for his eyes 
smarted from the dust of defeat, and his 
heart burned with anger. Round the corner 
of the hotel, across an open space, down a 
path — it was all one to him so long as each 
step carried him farther from that dreadful 
woman. 

Sad to relate, that dreadful woman was 
u8 




Be SAPPHIRE BRACELET^ 

distinctly pleased with herself; three hundred 
dollar bracelets did not grow on every tree, 
and a clear profit of seven hundred dollars 
was never to be despised. 

“ I scared him pink, so I guess he won’t 
bother me any more,” she said to herself. 
“ Fancy a kid like that thinking he could do 
Emma Hardcastle out of anything she’s once 
got her fingers on. He must have bought 
that bracelet of me to give to some girl he’s 
sweet on, and the maid who was to deliver 
it must have made a mistake. Yet he didn’t 
seem surprised that I had it. I guess he 
really started to give it back to me, and then 
got cold feet. Anyway, I got it, and it’ll 
take somebody with more nerve than Morton 
Prince to get it back.” 

In a shadowy corner of the veranda, not 
so far from where the lady with the henna- 
colored hair sat, a young man was engaged 
in unlacing his shoes. It was an unconven- 
tional thing to do, even under the cover of 
darkness, but perhaps the shoes were too 
tightly laced? No, there must have been a 
pebble in one of them — in both of them — 




0TO7 





for now he held his shoes in his hand; he was 
tying their laces together; he had slipped the 
laces over his head, and the shoes hung from 
his neck. Was the young man quite insane? 

He was on his feet, stealing softly toward 
a certain spot. He was directly behind the 
lady with the henna-colored hair. He had 
her by the wrist. 

A short struggle, a scream of anger and 
alarm, and this highly unconventional young 
man leaped lightly over the veranda rail, 
and disappeared into the night, leaving the 
lady to announce hysterically to the audience 
attracted by her scream that she had been 
robbed of a valuable bracelet. 

“ Did you see the thief’s face? ” asked the 
hotel clerk anxiously. 

“ You can better believe I saw his face ! 
He stole up on me in his stocking feet, and 
grabbed my wrist, and slipped off my brace- 
let just like that. And I don’t know what 
kind of a hotel you call this where a lady 
can’t even sit on the front porch without be- 
ing robbed.” 

“ Nothing like this ever happened here 
before,” said the clerk. 

140 




SAPPHIRE BRACELET 



“I should hope not! You send for the 
constable right away; do you hear? ” 

“ I’ve already sent for him,” said the 
clerk. “ He only lives just beyond our 
gate.” 

“ Well, when he comes you bring him 
straight to me. And clear these people 
away, will you? ” 

Left alone, the lady tossed her head an- 
grily, and vowed vengeance. 

“ I didn’t see his face, either,” she con- 
fessed to herself, “ but I’m blamed sure it 
was that low-down sneak of a Morton 
Prince. He must have climbed over the rail- 
ing at the end of the porch. I’ll teach him to 
steal bracelets. I’ll have him arrested, and 
then make him pungle up something hand- 
some before I’ll agree not to appear against 
him. And I guess it ought to be worth a 
couple of thousand not to appear against 
him,” she concluded more amiably. 






W HEN Mr. Prince had left the lady 
with the henna-colored hair, he 
had been fa* too indignant to no- 
tice where his steps were taking him, and 
therein the hand of fate is clearly indicated, 
for the path he followed led to the little pa- 
vilion at the edge of the lake, and in the 
pavilion he discovered the one of all the 
world in whom the night found its most 
pleasing expression. Mr. Prince was en- 
chanted. 

“ Fancy finding you here,” he said. 

“ Pm even more surprised than you,” re- 
plied Miss Randolph, whose greatest sur- 
prise lay in realizing she wasn’t at all sur- 
prised at seeing Mr. Prince. “ I imagined 
your professional duties would detain you 
142 


CHAPTER XIII 



Be SAPPHIRE BRACELET X 

longer. I hope your criminal didn’t es- 
cape.” 

“ Did you think I would let him escape 
after what you told me? ” Mr. Prince asked 
reproachfully. 

“ After what I told you? ” 

“ You said you’d never speak to me again 
if I let him get away.” 

“ So I did. But don’t you think you are 
a — a bit rash to come here? ” 

“ I didn’t dream you were here; I didn’t, 
honestly.” 

“ I mean, wasn’t it rash of you to come to 
the hotel?” 

Mr. Prince groaned. “ I knew you’d 
think that,” he said, “ but I — I just couldn’t 
help it. I was almost sure you were bound 
for this place when I saw you on the train. 

I suppose if I’d been — if I hadn’t been — 

I haven’t meant to intrude, or annoy you, 
really and truly I haven’t.” 

“ But you haven’t intruded; you have been 
most considerate. I’m sure some detect- 
ives — ” 

“ Miss Randolph,” Mr. Prince said, with 
great solemnity, “ I am not a detective.” 

143 





r^e SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

“ Not now, perhaps.’’ 

“ I never was.” 

“ Why do you tell me this? ” 

“ I’m blessed if I know,” Mr. Prince re- 
plied, “ unless it is because I can’t bear to de- 
ceive you any longer.” 

“ Supposing you had never deceived me ? 
Supposing I had guessed it from the very 
start? ” 

“ And supposing I were to guess, now, 
that you had never been robbed of a sapphire 
bracelet? ” 

“ That,” said Miss Randolph, “ is what 
worries me. I don’t mind telling you, since 
this seems a time for confessions, that I never 
was robbed of a sapphire bracelet, or of any 
other kind. Indeed, I came here to-day to 
return the bracelet you sent me to the woman 
from whom you — er — procured it. But 
the woman is still stopping at the hotel, and 
if she sees you, she may make it unpleasant 
for you.” 

“ Do you know,” said Mr. Prince ear- 
nestly, “ it’s the very deuce to think you’ve de- 
ceived some one you really care for. I — I 
do care for you, Miss Randolph.” 

144 




Perhaps it was the moonlight? Perhaps 
it was a certain quality in Mr. Prince’s voice? 
Whatever it was, Miss Randolph couldn’t 
help feeling a tenderness toward this big, 
handsome, faltering young man. Yet he 
mustn’t be allowed to — 

“ I love you,” Mr. Prince continued. 
“ I can’t help it I don’t want to help it. I 
just love you.” 

“I — Pm sure, I appreciate your caring.” 

“ And you’re not angry? ” 

“ Oh, yes; I’m very angry!” Miss Ran- 
dolph replied, forcing a little laugh. 

u It isn’t really funny. I — I mean it.” 

“ I only laughed for fear I should — to 
see if I could,” she confessed. “ And I’m 
sure you mean it.” 

“ I couldn’t bear it if you didn’t believe I 
meant it,” Mr. Prince replied simply. 

“ But, really, you must consider what the 
woman whose bracelet you sent me will do if 
she sees you.” 

“ Why, she can’t possibly do anything. 
Not possibly.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“ Positive — just as sure as I am that my 


SAPPHIRE BRACELET 



Stop that whispering/’ ordered the 


[^e SAPPHIRE BRACELET} 

name’s Morton Prince. There are several 
things about that bracelet I am anxious to tell 
you, though. As a matter of fact, before I 
sent it to you, I — I say, what the deuce ! ” 

Mr. Prince’s exclamation of astonishment 
was entirely justified, for, as he uttered it, a 
little man with a gray beard dashed into the 
pavilion, and, with a dramatic, “ Hands 
up ! ” covered him with a huge revolver. 

“ I suppose,” said the little man, “ you’ll 
deny your identity, but it won’t do you any 
good.” 

“ If you don’t stop pointing that revolver 
at me, I’ll jolly well punch your head for 
you.” 

“ You can’t,” said the little man, “ I’m the 
constable.” 

“ You point that revolver of yours at the 
floor,” commanded Mr. Prince. 

“ I warn you I’m all-fired quick,” said the 
constable, lowering his weapon. 

“ Don’t you think you’d better go? ” Mr. 
Prince whispered to the girl, suddenly appre- 
hensive in her behalf. 


jpie SAPPHIRE BRAQELEf^ 


constable. “ I suppose you’ll deny your 
identity, but — ” 

“ Why should I deny it, you old idiot? ” 

“ I heard you myself. I sneaked up on 
you, and I listened to you talking.” 
“What?” 

“ And just as I got here I heard you call 
yourself Morton Prince.” 

“ Oh ! ” said Mr. Prince. 

“ Oh!” said the girl. 

“ And I caught the word bracelet.” 

“ That was clever of you,” said Mr. 
Prince, so relieved concerning the things the 
constable hadn’t heard as to be almost 
friendly. 

“ And I guess I got you dead to rights.” 

“ I’m afraid you have,” agreed Mr. 
Prince, glancing at the revolver. “ Would 
it be too much to ask you what you intend to 
do next? ” 

“ I’ve already done it,” said the constable. 
“ You’re under arrest.” 

“ The deuce lam!” 

“ And I advise you 
bracelet.” 

“ What bracelet? ” 


to hand over that 


147 



Be SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

“ The one you stole from the lady.” 

“ But he hasn’t it,” Miss Randolph began. 
“ Hah ! ” cried the constable. “ I see. 
Hah ! So he’s given It to you, has he? ” 

“ Don’t be an ass! ” said Mr. Prince. 

“ Look here, young feller — ” 

“ What do you think you have against me, 
anyway? ” 

Robbery, highway robbery,” said the 
constable. 

“ But that’s absurd! ” 

“ It’s state’s prison, that’s what it is.” 

“ Who says I stole a bracelet? ” 

“ A Mrs. Hardcastle.” 

“ Well, I didn’t. She’s a blackmailing ad- 
venturess. I paid her seven hundred dollars 
for it.” 

“Why! Why! ” exclaimed the girl. 

“ Yes,” said Mr. Prince, u that is what I 
started to tell you : I bought the bracelet from 
her.” 

“ Then there’s nothing to worry about, is 
there ? ” 

“ Nothing at all.” 

“ You can just bet there’s something to 
worry about,” said the constable. “ I sup- 





fee SAPPHIRE BRACELET 



pose you didn’t sneak up on Mrs. Hardcastle 
in the dark, and grab her bracelet, and make 
off with it.” 

“ W-hat? ” gasped Mr. Prince. 

“ I say I suppose you didn’t sneak up on 
the lady, and grab her bracelet.” 

“ Certainly I didn’t.” 

“ She says you did.” 

“ She — she’s mistaken.” 

“ Well, you’re under arrest, anyway. And 
I advise you not to try and escape, for if you 
do, I’ll shoot the everlasting daylights out of 
you. I will, so help me Moses ! ” 

“ What is it you want me to do? ” 

“ You’re to go with me.” 

“Go where?” 

“ To the hotel.” 

“ Very well,” said Mr. Prince, “ lead the 
way.” 

“Lead the way! What do you take me 
for? You march along in front.” 

“ Just as you like.” 

“ And you, too,” said the constable, ad- 
dressing Miss Randolph. 

“ She’ll do nothing of the sort,” declared 
Mr. Prince. 




SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 


“ But I want to go,” said the girl. 

“ No,” Mr. Prince replied firmly. 

“ How do I know she ain’t an accom- 
plice?” demanded the constable. 

“ Because I tell you she isn’t.” 

“ And how do I know you ain’t lying? ” 

“ I say she shall not be dragged into this.” 

“ But I want to go.” 

“ She’s got to go.” 

Mr. Prince now advanced threateningly. 
“ Another word about it, and I’ll throw you 
into the lake,” he said. 

“ I’ll shoot you full of holes,” yelled the 
constable. 

“ Please let me go with you,” pleaded the 
girl. 

“ No, sweetheart.” 

“ Please, Morton. It’s really all my 
fault, you know.” 

“There!” exclaimed the constable. 
“It’s all her fault; she says so herself. 
Besides, when young fellers steal jewelry, 
it’s always for a woman.” 

“ If you’ll allow me to explain to you who 
I am, you will see there is no necessity for my 
stealing jewelry.” 

150 




“ You can tell all that to the judge. I’m 
here to arrest you, and by Godfrey, I’ve done 
it! ” 

“ There can be no harm in my going with 
you,” said the girl. 

“ It would be most unpleasant for you,” 
Mr. Prince explained; “you would be stared 
at by all the people in the hotel, and — ” 

“ Please let me go with you.” 

Mr. Prince hesitated. 

“ Please.” 

“ I will if you’ll call me Morton again,” 
Mr. Prince whispered. 

“ Hey, stop that whispering! ” 

“ It’s all right,” said the girl. “ I’m 
going, too.” 

“ Not till — ” Mr. Prince began. 

“ I’m going with my friend Morton 
Prince.” 

“ Oh, I say, that’s not the way! ” 

“ It’s one way,” the girl replied, mischief 
dancing in her eyes. 

“ You always do get the best of me,” said 
Mr. Prince. 

“ Well, are you going, or ain’t you? ” de- 
manded the constable. 

Hi 


SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

“We are going,” said the girl. 

Marching side by side, the constable a few 
feet in the rear, Mr. Prince and Miss Ran- 
dolph now made their way toward the hotel. 

“ It was sweet of you to stand by me,” 
said Mr. Prince. 

“I — I always mean to do that,” said the 
girl. 

“ If that confounded constable weren’t 
here, I’d—” 

“ Constables make excellent chaperons.” 

“ But to think our first walk together 
should be — ” 

The girl laughed merrily. “ It’s too de- 
licious,” she said. 

“ I know, but — ” 

Mr. Prince did not finish his protest; in- 
stead, he smiled beatifically, for a little hand 
had stolen into his own. 




CHAPTER XIV 

T HE lady with the henna-colored hair 
was feeling just the least bit uncom- 
fortable. It was not that she re- 
gretted her interview with the constable; nor 
did she wish to withdraw one word of the ex- 
aggerated account she had given him of the 
robbery; but perhaps she had gone a little 
too far in stating positively that Mr. Prince 
was the thief who had stolen her bracelet. 
It didn’t seem likely that any one else could 
have stolen it, yet the hand that had grasped 
hers had been quite rough — not at all like 
the hand of a gentleman. And the glimpse 
she had caught of the thief’s back, as he 
vaulted over the veranda rail and scurried 
across the lawn, had been far from reassur- 
ing. Still, there was no use in worrying; if 
153 




Wfre SAPPHIRE BRACELET] 


there was any worrying to be done, Morton 
Prince could do it. 

“ And it would serve him right for being 
so stuck up,” the lady decided with a malevo- 
lent titter. 

Rising from her chair, she now glanced 
resentfully at the whispering group of guests 
at the other end of the veranda. It might 
be wise for her to take a walk in the direction 
of the lake. It was toward the lake that the 
constable had gone, and — Well, there was 
little advantage in sitting still. Besides, if 
the constable had arrested Mr. Prince, he 
would naturally bring him to the hotel, and 
then all these whispering busybodies would 
have even more to whisper about. So it 
came to pass that the lady with the henna- 
colored hair met the constable and his two 
prisoners very near the shed that sheltered 
Mr. Prince’s powerful gray motor car. 

The sight of her standing there in the 
moonlight came as a rude awakening to Mr. 
Prince, more particularly as the little hand 
that had been resting so trustfully on his own 
was now hurriedly withdrawn. 

“ I believe I am indebted to you for the 

L54 




gfte SAPPHIRE BRACELET J 1 

honor of this gentleman’s acquaintance,” 
he said, indicating the constable. 

“ You’ll know him better than you do now 
if you don’t give me back my bracelet,” de- 
clared the lady. 

“ He hasn’t your bracelet,” said Miss Ran- 
dolph. 

“ Who spoke to you, and what are you 
doing in this, anyway?” 

“ She’s an accomplice,” explained the 
constable. 

“ Hah ! ” said the lady. 

“ Won’t you please go back to the pavilion 
and wait for me there?” Mr. Prince 
begged in a low voice. 

“ But, Morton — ” 

“ I want you to.” 

“Hey, none of that!” warned the con- 
stable. 

“ It will make me very unhappy if you in- 
sist on staying,” Mr. Prince continued, 
ignoring the constable. 

“ But will he let me go? ” 

“ I’ll attend to that. Please go, sweet- 
heart.” 

“ If you really wish it.” 

155 



jgfe SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

“ I do wish it.” 

“ You come back here,” commanded the 
constable, but he might as well have com- 
manded the moon to stand still. With head 
erect, and without glancing even once over 
her shoulder, Miss Randolph proceeded 
calmly on her way to the lake. 

“ Jumping Jehosaphat ! ” said the con- 
stable. “ She’s certainly a cool one.” 

“ We didn’t want her here, anyway,” said 
the lady. 

“ Am I to understand that you accuse me 
of stealing a bracelet?” demanded Mr. 
Prince. 

“ I did accuse you,” said the lady, “ but 
I’m sure I don’t want to get you into trouble. 
If you’ll give the bracelet back — ” 

“ Unfortunately, I haven’t it.” 

“ Look here,” said the constable, who had 
been studying Mr. Prince’s face, “ are you 
sure this is the man that robbed you? ” 

“Sure? Of course, I’m sure. He can 
either give me the bracelet, or seven hun- 
dred dollars; it’s all the same to me.” 

“Stop it!” said the constable. “That’s 
no way to do business. If he’s guilty he 
156 



rfe SAPPHIRE BRACELET 



goes to jail. Why, if you was to accept 
seven hundred dollars from him you’d be 
compounding a felony.” 

“ He’s guilty, all right,” declared the lady. 
“ Just because he’s rich he needn’t think he 
can come it over me.” 

“Is he rich? ” asked the constable. 

“ I should say he was! ” 

• “ Then I don’t believe he done it.” 

“ I tell you he did.” 

“ It ain’t reasonable to think a rich man 
would rob people.” 

“ That,” said Mr. Prince, “ is the first 
glimmer of common sense you’ve shown this 
evening.” 

“ I ain’t saying you’re innocent, young 
man, and I don’t want none of your sass, 
either,” warned the constable. 

“ Well,” said Mr. Prince, “ what are you 
going to do about it? ” 

“ I’m going to put you in jail if Mrs. 
Hardcastle will swear to a warrant.” 

“I — I hardly like to do that,” said the 
lady. “If you’ll leave us alone, constable, 
perhaps Mr. Prince and I can come to some 
satisfactory agreement.” 



tiie SAPPHIRE BRACELET 


“ And I refuse to be left alone with this 
woman, or to enter into any agreement of 
any kind with her.” 

“Oh, you do, do you?” the lady ex- 
claimed angrily. “ I want to tell you right 
now, I’m just as good as you are, and better. 
And I’ll swear out that warrant against you 
if it’s the last thing I do on earth.” Her 
voice was quivering with rage. 

“ You’d better not,” cautioned Mr. Prince. 

“ What the lady says, goes,” said the con- 
stable. “ You ain’t been any too civil to me, 
young man, and if she’s willing to run the risk 
of swearing to a warrant, I’m the man to jail 
you.” 

“ Do you mean to tell me you would dare 
take this woman’s word to that extent? ” 

“ If she’s mistaken, it’s her funeral, not 
mine,” said the constable. “ You come with 
me to the hotel, son, and we’ll get a nice little 
wagon, and tote you off to jail.” 

“ Yes,” said the lady, “ he goes to jail. 
And I leave by the early train to-morrow 
morning,” she added under her breath. 

“ You — you really mean it? ” gasped Mr. 
Prince. 

_Ui, 


“ You can better believe I do,” said the 
constable. 

“ Well, I guess not,” said a voice at Mr. 
Prince’s elbow. “ I’m the guy that took the 
bracelet.” 

Quite overwhelmed by this unexpected and 
astonishing announcement, the startled trio 
turned and stared at — Bill. 

“ If you don’t believe me, here it is,” Bill 
continued, holding the bracelet aloft for all 
to see. 

“ But, but — how on earth? ” Mr. Prince 
began. 

“ Bill Potts, I’m surprised at you,” said 
the constable. 

“ You give me my bracelet,” demanded 
the lady. 

“ Not on your life,” said Bill. 

“ And I’ve known him ever since he was 
knee-high to a grasshopper,” mourned the 
constable. 

“ It’s all right, Mr. Hawkins,” said Bill, 
addressing the constable. “ This here brace- 
let belongs to Mr. Prince, and I can prove it.” 

“ It don’t, and you can’t,” declared the 
lady. “ You give me my bracelet.” 

159 



jtfe SAPPHIRE. BRACELET 

“ Did you really take it from 
force? ” Mr. Prince asked sternly. 

“If he says it’s all right, it’s sure all 
right,” said the constable. “ I’ve known 
Bill ever since he was born, and there ain’t an 
honester boy in the state.” 

“ Honest nothing ! He’s a thief, you old 
goat; he stole my bracelet! ” 

“ It ain’t her bracelet, and I can prove it. 
Mr. Prince he paid her seven hundred dol- 
lars for it; I heard him say so.” 

“Does that make it so?” snapped the 
lady. 

“ It sure does. Besides, didn’t you ad- 
mit it? ” 

“ No, I didn’t.” 

“ She did, too,” said Bill addressing the 
constable. “ I heard her.” 

“ But you shouldn’t have taken it from 
her, Bill.” 

“ Do you think I was going to stand by 
and see you done out of seven hundred dol- 
lars? ” Bill asked reproachfully. 

“ If this man’s a friend of yours,” began 
the constable. 

“ Friend of mine? Well, I should say he 
160 




was ! Say, Mr. Hawkins, he’s the finest ever. 
And good to me! Gosh! ” 

“ You get my bracelet for me, or I’ll make 
it hot for you,” threatened the lady in a fine 
fury. 

“ I’m liable to, ain’t I? ” replied the con- 
stable. 

“ Do you mean you’ll take that kid’s word 
against mine? ” 

“ Every time.” 

“ I’m no end sorry you should have been 
subjected to such — er — to such methods,” 
said Mr. Prince. 

“ Sorry, my foot ! I believe you put him 
up to it.” 

“ You’d ought to be ashamed, setting an 
officer of the law on an innocent man,” said 
the constable. 

“ I don’t yet see how it came about,” said 
Mr. Prince. 

“ Well, you see,” Bill explained. “ I was 
settin’ near you on the porch when you and 
the lady was chinning about the bracelet, so 
I couldn’t help hearing. And, since then, 
I’ve been hanging about in the shed there 
where the car is, waiting for you to come 
161 



SAPPHIRE BRACELET 

^ 


back from the lake. I knowed you wasn’t 
alone down there, or else — ” 

“ I see. Give me the bracelet, please. 
Thank you. And now, if you’ll leave me 
alone with this lady — Mr. Hawkins, I 
hope you’ll pardon any incivility on my part. 
You will understand that I was a little upset, 
and — ” 

“ Sure,” replied the constable. “ And I 
don’t blame you. Shake.” 

“You ain’t sore with me, are you?” 
asked Bill. 

“No, indeed; I’m most grateful to you.” 

“ He’s a good boy,” said the constable. 

“ None better,” declared Mr. Prince. 
“ Good-night, Mr. Hawkins. Good-night, 
Bill.” 

“ Well,” said the lady, “ I hope you’re sat- 
isfied.” 

“ I am, and I’m not,” Mr. Prince replied. 
“ I am very glad to have the bracelet, but 
I’m sorry to have acquired it in such an unus- 
ual and — er — distressing manner. I apol- 
ogize most sincerely for the treatment you 
received in the hands of my chauffeur.” 

162 


SAPPHIRE BRACEpTf 


“ Bah,” said the lady, “ don’t be a hypo- 
crite! You got the best of me, and that’s all 
there is to it. I wish you joy of your brace- 
let, Morton Prince.” 

“ But I’d like to make some amends. I 
would, truly.” 

“ I don’t suppose you’d care to give me 
the bracelet? ” 

“ N-no. But if there’s anything else I can 
do?” 

The lady now regarded Mr. Prince with 
something very like admiration. “ Say, I 
believe you mean it,” she said. 

“ Of course, I mean it.” 

“ And I’m blessed if I don’t think I could 
touch you for a hundred or two for hurting 
my feelings.” 

u I was about to suggest something of the 
sort,” Mr. Prince admitted. 

“ No,” said the lady, u It would be too 
easy. I’m a lot decenter woman than you 
Imagine, Morton Prince.” 

“ I’m sure you’re not,” Mr. Prince replied, 
with unconscious equivocation. 

“ I’ve pulled your leg all I’m going to,” 
the lady continued firmly. “ You’ve treated 
163 



me whiter than most would, and I hope you 
and the girl will be happy. That’s straight.” 

Mr. Prince was profoundly touched. 
“ I hope you will be happy, too,” he said, ex- 
tending his hand. “ Good-night.” 

“ I’ve been so worried,” Miss Randolph 
confessed when Mr. Prince joined her a few 
moments later in the pavilion. “ Did that 
dreadful woman — ” 

“ No,” replied Mr. Prince, “ she was 
really very nice about it. Look, sweet- 
heart.” 

“ Why, you have the bracelet ! ” 

“ Your bracelet,” corrected Mr. Prince, 
pressing it into her hand. “ You’ll keep it 
always, won’t you? And, Dorothy, girl — ” 

“ Yes, Morton.” 

A gentle breeze stirred the willows, over- 
head the moon smiled tenderly, but the sap- 
phire bracelet slipped to the floor and lay 
there, quite forgotten. 




OCT 6 1910 







